Assam, Arunachal to follow Meghalaya model

GUWAHATI: Assam and Arunachal Pradesh governments on Wednesday agreed to set up district-level committees headed by cabinet ministers to end the decades-old border dispute between the two northeastern states in a time-bound manner — a move similar to the one agreed upon by Assam and Meghalaya.

The decision was taken at the second official meeting on the issue between Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Arunachal Pradesh counterpart Pema Khandu in Guwahati on Wednesday. Senior ministers and bureaucrats from both states were also present.

“We decided to form districtlevel committees in both states to resolve the issue in a timebound manner,” Sarma tweeted after the meeting.

Wednesday’s meeting was the second one after both chief ministers met in January this year and initiated preliminary talks of sorting out the border disputes.

“The positive enthusiasm for resolution on both sides is very encouraging. Grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah for their guidance and Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his proactive and positive leadership from the Assam side,” Khandu tweeted.

Assam border affairs minister Atul Bora said, “There are 123 villages along the border... which are in dispute and claimed by the latter. We decided to form 12 committees in each state,” said Bora. “These committees would conduct joint visits to all disputed areas and try to find resolution...”

Assam shares an 804-km boundary with Arunachal Pradesh. Over the years, allegations of encroaching land have led to disputes and violence.

Last year, following insistence of PM Modi and home minister Amit Shah, both states had resolved for an out-of-court settlement.

The border dispute has its genesis in 1873 when the British started the inner-line regulation, creating an imaginary boundary between the plains and hill areas in north of Assam.