Nagaland assembly adopts 3-point resolution to resolve border row with Assam

The legislators advocated that the border dispute should be amicably settled outside the court by the two state governments, by involving the local communities from both sides.

The Nagaland legislative assembly on Thursday held a marathon discussion on the recurrent border issue with neighbouring Assam and adopted a three-point resolution to pursue the settlement of the decades-long dispute.

Chief secretaries of Nagaland and Assam during a meeting in Dimapur on July 31. (ANI)

The development comes in the backdrop of recent tensions along the border area between the two states that de-escalated after a chief secretary-level meeting signed an agreement on July 31 to pull their respective forces from the disputed area immediately.

The state assembly, after a lengthy deliberation on the matter listed under ‘urgent public importance’, resolved to approach Union home minister Amit Shah to ensure maintenance of status quo agreed between the two states in letter and spirit in the disputed area until the issue is settled. The legislators advocated that the border dispute should be amicably settled outside the court by the two state governments, by involving the local communities from both sides.

The House also unanimously decided to constitute a select committee led by chief minister Neiphiu Rio and comprising 10 members including the two MPs from Nagaland – KG Kenye and Tokheho Yepthomi – as invitees, to examine all aspects of the Assam-Nagaland border issue and submit its report within three months.

The two states that share over 500-kilometre stretch of inter-state border have been engaged in off-and-on confrontations since 1963. Numerous attempts made by the two state governments in the past to resolve the persistent issue have failed and Assam took the matter to the Supreme Court. The apex court also attempted to resolve the dispute amicably through mediation in 2010, but the report submitted by the mediators was rejected by both states.

Then Supreme Court in 2015 ordered both states to file the list of their witnesses along with their testimonies in the form of affidavits with the court’s registrar. But it is reported that the progress is stalled because of the ongoing pandemic.