Aizawl: The central government has waived Rs 5.23 crore that the Mizoram government was required to pay as depreciated cost for buildings and infrastructure vacated by the Assam Rifles in Aizawl, Chief Minister Lalduhoma said on Monday.
Lalduhoma said he had written to Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai in May last year, requesting a waiver of the amount. Depreciated cost refers to the reduced value of buildings and infrastructure after accounting for wear and tear over time.
In a Facebook post late on Monday, the chief minister said the Union minister had responded to his request, informing him that the Mizoram government would not be required to pay the depreciated cost. “It is a matter of happiness that our request has been accepted,” Lalduhoma said.
Under the Memorandum of Agreement signed between the Mizoram government and the Assam Rifles for the relocation of the paramilitary force’s bases from Aizawl, the state was earlier required to pay Rs 5.23 crore as depreciated cost for the vacated buildings and infrastructure.
In March last year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended a function in Aizawl to mark the relocation of Assam Rifles bases to a designated camp at Zokhawsang, around 15 km east of the state capital. Officials said the phase-wise relocation began in April 2025.
The relocation was sought due to Aizawl’s difficult topography and growing congestion, officials added.
The Assam Rifles earlier had its bases at Zodin Square (Lammual) and Khatla in Aizawl. It also maintained a DIG residence at Tuikhuahtlang, a commandant’s bungalow and a church at Tuikual near Zodin, along with plots of land and a war memorial.
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However, the paramilitary force has retained its 23 Sector headquarters, Mizoram Range, at Khatla, as well as the DIG residence, officials said.
