Meghalaya: Minister Sosthenes Sohtun urges speedy border resolution with Assam

Guwahati: Meghalaya Cabinet Minister Sosthenes Sohtun has called for expediting the second phase of border discussions with Assam.

Speaking on the matter, Sohtun, who is also a member of the regional committee overseeing the talks, stressed the importance of resolving pending issues to ease tensions for residents living near the disputed boundaries.

“We are currently in the second phase of border negotiations. I’ve spoken with the regional committee chairman about the need to speed up this phase so that concerns of people living along the border can be addressed. These communities want peace and stability,” said Sohtun.

The longstanding border dispute between Assam and Meghalaya involves 12 areas of contention.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in March 2022 helped resolve six of those regions.

The ongoing phase focuses on settling the remaining six: Langpih, Borduar, Deshdoomreah, Block I and II, Psiar-Khanduli, and Nongwah-Mawtamur.

In June, Chief Ministers Conrad K. Sangma and Himanta Biswa Sarma held discussions on the dispute and other matters of mutual interest.

The meeting led to a decision to collaborate on a multi-purpose irrigation and hydroelectric project, and to assign the North Eastern Space Applications Centre the task of studying urban flooding in Guwahati.

At the local level, efforts continue with both states working together to place boundary markers in the Hahim area, as part of broader initiatives to resolve the decades-old border conflict.