Assam-Meghalaya border row: Hill cutting in Jorabat on agenda at June 2 meeting

Guwahati, May 31: Amid Guwahati’s ongoing flash floods, the upcoming Chief Minister-level meeting on June 2 to address the Assam-Meghalaya border dispute will also focus on environmental degradation along the state borders.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the agenda during a press briefing on Friday evening. He confirmed that Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s visit on Monday will include discussions on hill degradation in the neighbouring state, particularly Jorabat.

“I have invited Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma for a meeting, and this issue will be discussed with him,” Sarma said.

The Chief Minister also noted that the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC), which his government had previously requested to inspect the area around Guwahati, has issued notices to both Assam and Meghalaya regarding hill cutting near Jorabat.

“Day before yesterday, the Supreme Court panel issued notices to both state governments concerning hill cutting in Jorabat,” Sarma said.

While acknowledging the severity of the floods Guwahati is grappling with, Sarma took a measured stance, admitting it is impossible to completely stop the flow of water from Meghalaya into Guwahati.

“Some Meghalaya water is bound to come to Guwahati,” he said. He added that blaming any particular state for the floods over the past two days would be unwise.

“The situation in the past two days is very different, and I shouldn’t blame anybody for it. But yes, areas like Juripar and Tripura Road are flooded due to hill cutting in Jorabat,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Meghalaya Cabinet Minister Paul Lyngdoh expressed skepticism about achieving significant progress during the June 2 meeting, citing the poll atmosphere in Assam as a limiting factor.

“The only pending step is a joint field verification, especially in the sensitive Langpih sector, which has long been a flashpoint in the territorial dispute. With elections at their doorstep, it is likely they do not want to risk any decision that might affect their support base,” Lyngdoh he told the press, in Shillong.

The first phase of border row between Assam and Meghalaya had ended with the signing of an MoU in March 2022 between the two state governments. It resolved the five-decade-old differences in six areas – Tarabari, Gizang, Hahim, Boklapara, Khanapara-Pillangkata and Ratacheera. This upcoming meeting aims to resolve the remaining areas of dispute among the states.