Assam-Arunachal border row: Regional committees likely to meet in January 2025

Itanagar, Oct 9: The vexed border issue between Arunachal Pradesh and Assam is set to receive another push toward resolution, as the regional border committees of both states are likely to meet in January 2025.

This was hinted at by Arunachal Pradesh Urban Affairs Minister Balo Raja on Tuesday during a meeting of the Regional Border Committee of Papum Pare, which examined the current status of the border dispute with Assam.

Presiding over the Regional Border Committee meeting at Yupia, Raja, who also heads the committee, urged members to complete their assigned tasks within a month and file a report. He added that the report would facilitate detailed discussions during a meeting with their Assam counterparts in January.

Calling for collaborative efforts from all stakeholders to amicably resolve the decades-long border dispute with Assam, Raja encouraged members to “work in a team spirit and prepare a concrete roadmap” for settling the boundary issues with Assam's districts.

Highlighting the importance of maintaining cordial relations with neighbouring states and the spirit of negotiation, Raja emphasised that local MLAs, deputy commissioners, and other officials must play pivotal roles in resolving this longstanding issue.

Doimukh legislator Nabam Vivek expressed his intention to meet with the regional committees of Lakhimpur and Biswanath districts in Assam by the end of November 2024, hoping to settle the boundary issues in a “team spirit”.

Vivek mentioned that he is already in discussions with MLAs from Assam and advocated for a ground-level recheck. He stressed the importance of holding internal meetings alongside those with Assam counterparts.

Vivek underscored the necessity for district administrations and administrative officers in the border areas to conduct field surveys in consultation with the Border People’s Forum and to engage with local residents, stating, “The people are the primary stakeholders.”

Notably, Doimukh shares the longest boundary with Assam.

Earlier, in April 2023, the Chief Ministers of both states signed an agreement in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to resolve the dispute.

This signing followed the Namsai Declaration in 2022, which set in motion efforts to address the longstanding boundary matter pending with the country's apex court for years.