‘No immediate resolution of border row with Mizoram’: Assam CM
The chief minister said a headway is expected in border disputes with Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tuesday that the ongoing border row between the state and neighbouring Mizoram is unlikely to get resolved soon.
Addressing journalists on the sidelines of the ongoing assembly session, he said that talks will soon be held with his Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya counterparts to address the border disputes with the two states.
“The present situation on the Assam-Mizoram border is not very conducive. Eye-ball to eye-ball confrontation is going on at the moment in Hailakandi, Karimganj and Cachar districts of Assam in areas falling along the border with Mizoram,” Sarma said.
Assam and Mizoram share a 164.6 km-long boundary. Mizoram was part of Assam till 1972 when it became a Union territory. It became a state in 1987. There have been minor skirmishes in the past with Mizoram seeking delineation of the border on basis of the East Bengal Frontier Regulation of 1873.
Though both Assam and Mizoram governments agreed to maintain the status quo on the dispute several years ago, there have been transgressions and encroachments with each side blaming the other.
There is palpable tension along the inter-state border at present with each state blaming the other for encroachment of its territory and attacks on its residents. Both states have ensured a heavy deployment of police personnel along the border.
“Union home secretary (Ajay Kumar Bhalla) also recently discussed the issue with chief secretaries of Assam and Mizoram to resolve the crisis. But as of now, the situation along the Assam-Mizoram border is still fragile. I don’t expect any immediate result on the Assam-Mizoram border. It will take time,” said Sarma.
Besides Mizoram, Assam has long-standing border disputes with Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Nagaland. The state shares an 804-km long boundary with Arunachal Pradesh, 434-km with Nagaland and 733-km with Meghalaya.
“We can expect some headway on Assam-Meghalaya and Assam-Arunachal Pradesh fronts. On July 23, I will meet Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma to resolve the border dispute between our two states amicably. I will also meet Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu to discuss the border situation,” said Sarma.
