Arunachal Pradesh, Assam hold regional-level border talks

Itanagar: The third round of the Regional Committee-level meeting for resolving long-pending inter-state boundary matter between Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, involving the border districts of Lohit and Tinsukia, and Namsai and Tinsukia, was held at Guwahati, official sources said on Thursday.

Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, who along with Assam Border Protection and Development Minister Atul Bora chaired the meeting, said that Regional Committees of both Assam and Arunachal had detailed discussions of all the issues pertaining to the inter-state boundary disputes in Lohit, Namsai and Tinsukia districts under the ambit of ‘Namsai Declaration’ jointly made by the State Govts of both the States on July 15 last.

He informed that the final reports of the Regional Committees have been prepared and signed by the members for onward submission to the State Govts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. 

Mein also informed that joint surveys were conducted by the Regional Committees in the disputed areas before the first meeting and due consultations held with all the stakeholders held for an amicable solution of the boundary issue.

“The people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have an age-old cordial relationship and we must carry forward this legacy,” the Dy Chief Minister said. 

Mein told the newsmen that the boundary issue is seven decades old and the issue was kept pending by successive governments over the period due to lack of political will. But after the BJP came to power at the Centre and in both the states, its leaders have shown the political will power and seriousness to resolve the issue amicably. 

He expressed thankfulness to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for their initiatives to resolve the boundary issues in North East Region for peaceful co-existence. 

Mein also thanked both the Chief Ministers of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh for their keenness to resolve the long pending issue.  

The joint meeting was attended by members of the Committees namely, MLAs Karikho Kri (of Tezu, Lohit district), Chau Zingnu Namchoom (Namsai), Jummum Ete Deori (Lekang) and Bolin Chetia (Sadiya), Assam’s Border Protection & Development Commissioner & Secretary G D Tripathi, DCs, SPs and other officials, sources said.