Assam-Meghalaya border disputes: Letters to The EDITOR

Assam-Meghalaya border disputes

Assam-Meghalaya border disputes hit headlines yet again on February 16, 2019. In the wake of the alleged lathicharge on some residents of Meghalaya and MECL staff by the Assam Police at Umwali near Langpih along the border between the two States, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma talked sense when he said: "We are trying to ensure that the status quo is maintained so that the sentiments of people are not hurt. That is where the challenge lies... First, we would like to ensure that the situation normalizes and then move forward."

This is a level-headed reaction from a chief minister representing young blood. Sangma is a first-time chief minister, so is his Assam counterpart Sarbananda Sonowal. The situation, it seems, is evenly poised. The problem – the lingering border disputes between Assam and Meghalaya – is at hand for this two young chief ministers representing young blood to solve. Can they?

Border disputes between Assam and Meghalaya have an ugly past, involving violent clashes. The predecessors of these two chief ministers could do precious little to solve the problem. Of course, there has been status quo with little or without its violation here and there. However, such a situation, if allowed to linger long, is fraught with the risk of putting development of inter-state border areas to a grinding halt. Does such a calm situation along the border augur well for the two States? Development of border areas is a must for both the States and their people. However, as and when any of the two States moves for development activities, the other State feels is as violation of the status quo. This essentially says that the problem is far from being solved.

Can't these two first-time chief ministers representing young blood sit across the table and solve the problem – which the oldies could not – once and for all? There lies the real challenge.

Topo Singha,

Milan Nagar, Barbari, Guwahati.