Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday held discussions for resolving an interstate dispute in the remaining six of the 12 locations.

After the meeting in Guwahati, Sarma announced at a press conference that he along with Sangma will visit the disputed areas in Assam’s Karbi Anglong and Meghalaya’s West Jaintia Hills, where the problem is a “little bit complicated”, next month.

Meghalaya was carved out of Assam as a separate state in 1972 but the new state had challenged the Assam Reorganisation Act, 1971, leading to disputes in 12 border locations.

The two Northeastern states signed an MoU in March 2022 in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi to end the dispute in six areas along the 884.9 km border between the two neighbours.

According to the agreement, 36.79 sq km of the disputed area was taken up for settlement in the first phase, with Assam getting full control of 18.51 sq km and Meghalaya over 18.28 sq km of land.

“It will be a confidence-building measure so that people on both sides are assured that we are resolving the differences.

“I believe that through discussions, mutual trust and confidence, we will be able to resolve the other six areas of disputes much earlier than expected,” the Assam chief minister said at the press conference.

Sangma said though the differences in these six areas are “complicated”, these too can be resolved with a spirit of trust and friendship.

Things are “complicated” but we believe that where there is a will, there is a way, the Meghalaya chief minister said.

Sangma said the survey and other allied work in the six areas, for which an agreement was signed between the two states in the first phase last year, is underway.

When asked if any deadline was set for finding solution to the remaining six areas, Sarma said, “These six areas are a little bit complicated, putting a time frame is not a proper idea but we will meet in July to review the progress of work.

“People on both sides are emotive, temperatures are not different on either side,” he said, adding that the situation on the Assam side is a little different as the area bordering West Jaintia Hills district falls under Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC).

“As it is under KAAC, the Assam government does not have direct control over land but it does not mean that we are different entities. A representative of KAAC is there on the regional committee for the area.”

Whatever will be decided will be done by taking each side into confidence, the Assam chief minister added.

On assuming the chief minister’s office in May 2021, Sarma announced that his priority was to resolve long-standing boundary disputes with neighbouring states.

Subsequently, three regional committees were set up to resolve the issues in a phased manner.

The regional committees submitted their recommendations which were handed over to the Union Home Minister in New Delhi.