Assam, Mizoram to hold ministerial-level talks to resolve border disputes

Guwahati (Assam) [India], August 9 (ANI): Assam and Mizoram will hold ministerial-level talks on Friday to resolve the long-standing border dispute between two neighbouring states.

The meeting will be held in Mizoram’s capital city, Aizawl.

Assam Border Protection & Development Minister Atul Bora will lead the Assam team accompanied by state government officials while Mizoram Home Minister K Sapdanga will lead the Mizoram team.

Assam Border Protection & Development Minister Atul Bora told ANI that, earlier the Assam government held talks with the previous Mizoram government over the border issue.

“This will be the first meeting with the new Mizoram government. The meeting will be held in Aizawl today,” Atul Bora said.

The Assam Minister would likely to meet Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma tomorrow.

The last talks pertaining to the border dispute was held in November 2021 and 2022.

The border dispute between two neighbouring states concerns three districts of Mizoram – Kolasib, Aizawl and Mamit which share a 164.6 km border with three districts of Assam – Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj.

According to the Assam government, Assam accepts the constitutional boundary between Assam and Mizoram as defined by Notification No. 2106 A.P dated 09.03.1933 and the State of Mizoram Act, 1986. However, Mizoram’s stand is that the boundary line should be as per the Inner Line Notification No. 2299P. dated 20/08/1875 on the basis of historical and ethnic grounds.

The efforts of encroachment from the Mizoram side have been going on for a long and in the meeting between the Chief Ministers of both states held on 24th September 2014, have agreed on maintaining the status quo, delineation and demarcation of boundary through a tripartite mechanism consisting of Survey of India and land authorities of both the states.

Notably, the border dispute had turned violent resulting in the death of seven personnel from the Assam police and injuring several others in July 2021. Following this, a couple of rounds of meetings took place between the delegations from Assam and Mizoram to amicably solve this issue. In 1972, Mizoram was made a union territory. However, the UT which was carved out of Assam was made a state in 1987. After initial acceptance of the border with Assam Mizoram gradually began disputing the border.