Hailakandi, July 9: The crucial bilateral talk between Assam and Mizoram in New Delhi's Gujarat Bhawan is underway today to find out the solution of prolonged border dispute between the states.
Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla is presiding over the meeting. The Chief Secretary of Assam, Jishnu Baruah and Lalnunmawia Chuaungo of Mizoram are in face to face discussion in the meeting. The decisions of this much awaited chief secretary level meeting are yet to come.
The meeting had to be scheduled after the district administrations of Assam's Hailakandi district and Mizoram's Kolasib district failed to settle the border imbroglio and stressed the need for bilateral discussion at the highest level. The meeting is also attended by director general of police of both the states, Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta and Pu SBK Singh.
Assam shares a 164.6 kms border with Mizoram. Both the states were asked by the centre to follow the map of Survey of India but the tension escalated in the border in Hailakandi district, which shares border with Mizoram's Kolasib district following the allegation of encroachment of many kms of Assam land by Mizoram.
The district administration of Hailakandi dismantled many constructions and cleared forest villages from the encroachers. Assam's houses were also burnt down by the miscreants of Mizoram. School and Mosque were also blown away by the miscreants in the bordering Kachurthal area last year.
Though efforts are being initiated by both sides to restore normalcy and prevent any unanticipated situation in the area, it remains a distant dream as tension mounts over the issue of encroachment of Assam land on various occasions. It is a long-pending issue and several rounds of dialogues since 1995 to resolve the dispute have yielded very little actual progress on the ground.
After a massive tussle in 2018, the border dispute resurfaced in August 2020 and then in February this year. However, the escalating tensions were successfully defused after a series of parleys initiated by the Centre.
Altogether 300 Assam Police jawans have been stationed in the border to prevent any bid of encroachment from Mizoram side.
