GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Arunachal Pradesh counterpart Pema Khandu on Sunday said that they would start the process from April to resolve the long-pending boundary disputes.
Assam shares 804 km inter-state border with Arunachal Pradesh.
Sarma and Khandu on Sunday attended the 50 years celebration programme of Arunachal Pradesh and the 36th statehood day at Naharlagun.
Sarma, while addressing the function, informed that Assam and Arunachal Pradesh governments would sit together from April to resolve border disputes.
Sarma expressed hoped that the majority of border issues would be solved this year.
“Border issues can only be solved amicably and through dialogue between all stakeholders,” he asserted.
The Assam Chief Minister requested Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, who is a Lok Sabha Member from Arunachal, to work as a leader of team northeast so that the entire region can play a vital role in the development of the country.
The Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister echoed his Assam counterpart and thanked Sarma for initiating the process to resolve the inter-state border disputes.
Till 1972, Arunachal Pradesh was known as the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) and it was administered by the External Affairs Ministry with the Assam Governor acting as agent to the President of India.
On January 20, 1972, the state gained Union Territory status and was renamed as Arunachal Pradesh and it became a full-fledged state on February 20, 1987.