DIBRUGARH: A crucial meeting in regards to the border row between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh was held at Dibrugarh in Assam on Thursday.
As a follow up to the “Namsai Declaration” that aims to amicably resolve the long-standing border issue between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, Assam minister Atul Bora and Arunachal Pradesh deputy CM Chowna Mein, on Thursday, attended a meeting of regional committees of the two states concerning Tinsukia, Namsai, Lower Dibang Valley and Lohit districts.
The meeting was held at the Arunachal Bhawan at Mohanbari in Dibrugarh of Assam.
During the meeting, both the ministers discussed the final report of the regional committees that will be submitted to the chief ministers of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh before October 15.
“I am glad to share that majority of the border issues concerning these districts have been sorted out. We will submit the joint report to the chief ministers within October 15,” Assam minister Atul Bora said.
Also read: Assam | India vs South Africa T20I: Both teams arrive in Guwahati
He added: “Due to strong political will and initiative of Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and keenness of Arunachal CM Pema Khandu, both the states are inching towards amicably resolving the decades old border issues.”
“The boundary issue between Namsai & Tinsukia and Lohit & Tinsukia is almost sorted out, as there is no boundary dispute in these two districts,” said Arunachal Pradesh deputy chief minister Chowna Mein.
Arunachal Pradesh health minister Alo Libang, Arunachal Pradesh MLAs Gum Tayeng (Dambuk), Karikho Kri (Tezu), Zingnu Namchoom (Namsai), Jummum Ete Deori (Lekang) , Mutchu Mithi (Roing) and Assam MLA Bolin Chetia (Sadiya), DCs and SPs of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Namsai, Lohit and Roing were also present in the meeting.
On July 15, chief ministers of both Assam and Arunachal Pradesh met at Namsai in Arunachal Pradesh and signed an agreement known as the “Namsai Declaration” to end border issues between the two states.
During the meeting it was decided to ‘restrict’ the number of disputed villages to 86 instead of 123.
Assam shares an 804-km inter-state border with Arunachal Pradesh and as many as eight districts in the frontier state and 12 districts in Assam are affected by the border row since Arunachal Pradesh became a Union Territory in 1972.
Also read: Assam: CBI arrests GST commissioner in Guwahati
Arunachal Pradesh earlier known as NEFA (North East Frontier Agency) attained statehood in 1987.
As per the Namsai declaration, both the states constituted 12 regional committees, each for the 12 districts where there is a dispute.
These committees will jointly verify the concerned villages and thereafter make recommendations to the respective state governments “keeping in view the historical perspective, administrative convenience, contiguity and people’s will”.