Shillong, Mar 16: The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to file affidavits on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking intervention into the delay in resolving the age-old boundary dispute between Assam and Meghalaya on April 26.

The PIL was filed by the general secretary of the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM), THS Bonney against the Centre and the two state governments.

Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, Bonney informed that the Court has admitted the PIL on March 14 and will hear the case on April 26.

“The Government of India and the two states – Assam and Meghalaya have also been asked to file their respective replies during the upcoming hearing on the issue,” he said.

He said the reason which prompted the party to file the PIL was following the failure of the Centre to response on the memorandum submitted last year.

The memorandum was submitted to the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh requesting for his intervention into the need to address the hardships faced by the people residing along the inter-state border due to this dispute.

“However, since there was no response from him (Singh) even after waiting for one month, we have decided to file this PIL to ensure that the problem which is causing unnecessary tensions between the people of two states, is resolved and removed once and for all,” he said.

Stating that it is high time to bring long lasting peace in the border area to ensure security to the people of both the states, Bonney lamented that talks held between the chief ministers and chief secretaries of the two states have been a futile exercise in the past many years.

“…so many statements of intents were made to finalise the issue and the results of these talks are for everyone to see. However, I believe that once the issue is taken up by the highest court in the lant, we will one day get everlasting peace in the border,” he stated.

Asked, the KHNAM leader said Article 3 of the Constitution of India has clearly spelt out that parliament is the sole authority to settle border dispute adding “Therefore it is the duty of the Central government to solve this problem once and for all.”

Bonney also pointed out that the Supreme Court had also put the ball in the Centre’s court to implement report on demarcation of Andra, Karnataka boundary in the Obulapuram Mining Company case, last year.

Meanwhile, KHNAM president and North Shillong legislator Adelbert Nongrum said that the problem related to the boundary dispute between Assam and Meghalaya has been lingering on for many years despite the Chandrachud Commission was constituted on the matter.

According to him, the status quo agreed by the two states have also failed to ensure peace in the border areas.