Guvs of Raj, MP call for early resolution of border issues

Udaipur/Jaipur: Rajasthan governor Kalraj Mishra and his Madhya Pradesh counterpart Mangu Bhai Patel on Friday asked the respective state governments to resolve the border disputes between the two states as per the revenue survey concluded recently.The two governors held a meeting at the divisional commissioner’s office in Udaipur to review the latest situation of the border disputes and the implementation of development schemes in the border areas. The two governors issued a joint statement after the meeting, which was the first of its kind between two heads of state to resolve the border disputes.Nine districts of Rajasthan share a 1,600-km-long border with six districts of Madhya Pradesh. Rajasthan’s Pratapnagar, Banswara, Dholpur, Jhalawar and Karauli, and MP’s Jhabua, Mandsaur and Neemuch have a history of disputes over catchment areas of waterbodies. Over the decades, most border areas between the two states are streamlined except in some places where it remains unresolved due to waterbodies, hills and dense forest cover.Expressing his concerns, Mishra said, “Since Assembly and Lok Sabha elections are to be held both in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh in the coming months, extra vigil should be exercised in the border districts. If the issue is resolved in time, it would help strengthen internal security and contain the law-and-order situation.”Mishra also referred to the high rate of floating population in the border areas, the high crime rate in those areas, and the dispute between the police of Rajasthan and MP over jurisdiction in examining and reporting criminal cases.“A timebound solution of the border issue would facilitate the overall development of the people living in those areas. A protracted continuance of the border disputes are preventing the people from reaping the benefits of government schemes,” said Mishra.In the meeting, both the governor and the officials discussed the status of government schemes such as those for the education of the girl child, medical facilities, and for tribal welfare in the border districts of both the states.“Basic facilities including security, education, housing, drinking water, and health should be ensured by the respective states for people migrating with their families. People who migrate are those working in the unorganised sector and not covered in any social welfare scheme. They should be identified and covered in the schemes,” said Mishra. Several meetings have been held between officials of the two states in the last decade, but most issues remain the same.
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