Inter-state Border Disputes in North-East India: A Case of Assam and Meghalaya
By Bitupan Doley, Parimita Bhuyan, and Jayanta Krishna Sarmah
This paper attempts to trace the root cause of the boundary dispute between Assam and Meghalaya and highlights the governmental efforts towards the settlement of inter-state border conflicts between the two states. It particularly study four aspects of border disputes based on field notes: people’s participation in border conflict resolution, responses of people of disputed areas towards government interventions, civil society participation in disputed areas, and development of inter-state border areas between Assam and Meghalaya. The field study reveals that people of the bordering areas are consulted regarding resolution of border dispute between the two states; however, their voices do not receive adequate weightage in the process of boundary demarcation. The field study clarifies that Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) expressed their concern regarding the resolution of border disputes; however, there are limitations regarding their participation in interior areas of border dispute. It is revealed that frequent occurrences of border conflicts have a negative impact on the development of inter-state border areas. Further, the field study also clarifies that illiteracy, lack of adequate information and inadequate awareness among people are the main causes of inter-state border disputes between the two states.