Meghalaya Chief Minister claims no easy solution to Assam-Meghalaya border issue; Bangladesh not to be affected by Meghalaya hydro power projects; Tripura state to be declared fully literate; Dima Hasao to hold polls; President Pranab Mukherjee to visit M
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    • According to reports, Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on April 8 admitted that the inter-State boundary dispute with Assam is not amenable to easy solution. Chief Minister Sangma, however, promised that his government would continue to make more vigorous efforts towards finding an endurable resolution to the problem. The four-decade-old boundary dispute between Meghalaya and Assam has witnessed a spate of incidents in recent past. Meghalaya has 12 areas of difference on the boundary with Assam. 1

    In another development, according to reports, amid fresh concerns in Bangladesh over the construction of two proposed dams in Meghalaya, State Power Minister Clement Marak said on April 10 that construction of the hydropower projects would not have any impact in Bangladesh. Power-starved Meghalaya is proposing to construct two dams: One across the Umiew River known as Mawphu Hydro Electric Project in East Khasi Hills, and another across Myntdu River known as Myntdu-Leshka Hydro Electric Project Stage-II in the West Jaintia Hills. The 85 MW Mawphu project would be built by the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (Neepco) on the Umiew River in East Khasi Hills District at anestimated cost of Rs 453.81 crore. Bangladesh opposed the construction of the two dams since both were on common rivers between Bangladesh and India. Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni had asked New Delhi not to unilaterally proceed on building these dams, as Dhaka wants them to be sorted out in the Joint River Commission. 2

    According to reports, India's north-eastern State of Tripura will be declared fully literate in September this year, said the state finance minister Badal Choudhury on April 12. According to a government survey conducted by the eight district magistrates in August last year, there are only 1,47,261 people of the state's 3.7 million people, including those aged 50 and above, who are illiterate. As per the adult literacy guidelines of the union ministry of human resource development, people aged between 15 to 45 years would be targeted under the literacy mission. 3

    Reports noted that altogether 1,15,765 voters from 28 constituencies would be able to exercise their franchise in the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (Dima Hasao) poll, the dates of which were announced on April 12 by the Assam State Election Commission (ASEC). ASEC Commissioner Biren Dutta informed that the Council would go for poll on May 20 and the date of notification has been fixed on April 12. 4

    In other developments, reports noted that President Pranab Mukherjee will visit the north-eastern states of Manipur and Sikkim on a three-day tour beginning April 15. 5

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