Assam-Arunachal border talks in six disputed district will be resolved soon: Khandu

Itanagar, March 11: During the ongoing session of the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly, Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Monday said that boundary demarcation between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in six disputed districts will be completed soon.

Khandu said that it will be completed by a joint team of both the states.

The Chief Minister was responding to a supplementary question raised in the Assembly by BJP legislator Wangling Lowangdong.

Khandu asserted that the State government remains committed to the agreement established under the Namsai Declaration on July 15, 2022.

He also stated that discussions with the Assam government would be initiated shortly for the Changlang district.

"We have made significant progress in resolving the boundary dispute between the two neighbouring states through an out-of-court settlement," Khandu said.

Earlier, addressing Lowangdong's query on the status of the boundary issue, Home Minister Mama Natung informed the House that the reconstituted regional committees for the six districts held their first meeting in September last year. It was then decided to begin joint inspections with Assam's regional committees.

The committees for Pakke Kessang, Papum Pare, Kamle, Lower Siang, Lower Dibang Valley, and Longding districts were formed to expedite the identification and resolution of disputed areas along the 804.1-km inter-state boundary, following the Namsai Declaration.

A joint report outlining recent developments, challenges and recommendations is still awaited, Natung said.

He also noted that the regional committee for Changlang district remains on hold due to initial opposition from Assam, as the 2014 local commission report did not list any disputed villages in the area.

He informed the House that boundary disputes in five other districts-West Kameng, East Siang, Lohit, Tirap, and Namsai-have already been resolved, while issues in six districts are under review by the reconstituted regional committees.

Replying to another supplementary question, Natung reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh has consistently opposed the unilateral notification of the Bordoloi Commission of 1951. "The State's proactive efforts have resulted in an MoU allowing for the adjustment of land and areas inhabited by Arunachali people within three kilometres into the State," Natung stated.

The Namsai Declaration was signed following a meeting between Chief Ministers Pema Khandu and Himanta Biswa Sarma to "restrict or minimize boundary disputes in relation to 123 villages presented before the Local Commission by Arunachal in 2007".

The two Chief Ministers agreed in principle to reduce the number of disputed villages from 123 to 86.

After achieving statehood in 1987, a tripartite committee recommended transferring certain territories from Assam to Arunachal Pradesh. However, Assam contested this, and the matter remained in the Supreme Court for an extended period.

- With inputs from news agencies