Closure of 30,000 abandoned coal mines a challenge to Meghalaya
Justice (Retired) B P Katakey, appointed by the Meghalaya High Court, has issued a stern warning against the opening of these mines which pose health and environmental hazards.
Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan conducted a review meeting to assess the ongoing efforts to resolve border disputes between Assam and its neighbouring states, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh.
These long-standing disputes have prompted formal agreements aimed at achieving lasting resolutions.
The Assam-Meghalaya border agreement, signed in March 2022, and the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh pact, inked in April 2022, set frameworks for addressing historical boundary tensions.
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According to a senior official from Assam, both states are pushing to complete surveys of six disputed areas with Meghalaya—Tarabari, Gizang, Hahim, Baklapara, Khanapara-Pillangkata, and Ratacherra—and to finalise surveys for 38 villages under discussion with Arunachal Pradesh within the next six months.
The official also emphasised the importance of activating regional committees to settle boundaries in 49 villages with Arunachal Pradesh by April 19, 2025.
The Union Home Secretary expressed satisfaction with the progress in the Hahim region and set a December 2024 deadline for installing boundary markers. Similar targets were established for the Kamengabari and Bhalukpong sectors along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border, where initial surveys have been completed.
Officials from Assam, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh attended the review meeting. Border issues persist for Assam with other neighbouring states, including Nagaland and Mizoram, with a 2021 clash between Assam and Mizoram police near Vairengte village highlighting the urgency of these disputes.
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