oppn parties Assam-Meghalaya Border Dispute Resolution - A Good Beginning

News Snippets

  • Sikh extremists attacked a cinema hall in London that was playing Kangana Ranaut's controversial film 'Emergency'
  • A Delhi court directed the investigating agencies to senstize officers to collect nail clippings, fingernail scrappings or finger swab in order to get DNA profile as direct evidence of sexual attack is often not present and might result in an offender going scot free
  • Uniform Civil Code rules cleared by state cabinet, likely to be implemented in the next 10 days
  • Supreme Court reiterates that there is no point in arresting the accused after the chargesheet has been filed and the investigation is complete
  • Kolkata court sentences Sanjoy Roy, the sole accused in the R G Kar rape-murder case, to life term. West Bengal government and CBI to appeal in HC for the death penalty
  • Supreme Court stays criminal defamation case against Rahul Gandhi for his remarks against home minister Amit Shah in Jharkhand during the AICC plenary session
  • Government reviews import basket to align it with the policies of the Trump administration
  • NCLT orders liquidation of GoAir airlines
  • Archery - Indian archers bagged 2 silver in Nimes Archery tournament in France
  • Stocks make impressive gain on Monday - Sensex adds 454 points to 77073 and Nifty 141 points to 23344
  • D Gukesh draws with Fabiano Caruana in the Tata Steel chess tournament in the Netherlands
  • Women's U-19 T20 WC - In a stunning game, debutants Nigeria beat New Zealand by 2 runs
  • Rohit Sharma to play under Ajinkye Rahane in Mumbai's Ranji match against J&K
  • Virat Kohli to play in Delhi's last group Ranji trophy match against Saurashtra. This will be his first Ranji match in 12 years
  • The toll in the Rajouri mystery illness case rose to 17 even as the Centre sent a team to study the situation
Calling the case not 'rarest of rare', a court in Kolkata sentenced Sanjay Roy, the only accused in the R G Kar rape-murder case to life in prison until death
oppn parties
Assam-Meghalaya Border Dispute Resolution - A Good Beginning

By Our Editorial Team
First publised on 2022-03-31 09:11:40

About the Author

Sunil Garodia The India Commentary view

The interstate boundary dispute resolution agreement signed between Assam and Meghalaya is a positive development. Although the present agreement has been reached for just 6 of the 12 friction points, it is a good beginning and the three committees that were formed to look into the matter must now work upon the remaining areas. Almost all north-eastern states have a running boundary dispute with Assam as they were carved out of it. Most of these disputes relate mainly to the cultural sub-nationalism that tribes residing in such border areas profess. There is of course the additional pressure of land and the rich forests in Assam and other states which are often encroached upon. But it is unlikely that this agreement can become a template for the resolution of the boundary disputes between Assam and the other north-eastern states for the other disputes are not as simple as the one in Meghalaya. Even in Meghalaya, the other 6 points will need tougher negotiations. 

In most other states, the local population is not ready to accept the constitutionally defined boundaries. They are steadfast in believing that since their forefathers had lived on the land for centuries, they have a right over it and no boundary can separate it or make them residents of another state. State governments also lay claim to land on either side of the boundary. This has led to clashes- even bloody ones like the one between Assam and Mizoram in July last year in which 6 Assamese policemen died. Negotiations between states on the lines of the one between Assam and Meghalaya are welcome and solutions must be found by incorporating the concerns of all stakeholders, including the tribes living in interstate border areas.

An early resolution of the problem in the Northeast is absolutely essential as it will help in the development of all the states in the region. Since Assam is the gateway to the region, if the other states have a running dispute with the largest and the most strategic state, all of them suffer in one way or the other. Further, with China showing aggressive designs, India needs to rapidly develop infrastructure in all north-eastern states. It would be best if disputes can be settled through bilateral talks between two states and the process must be intensified.

picture courtesy: insidene.com