GUWAHATI: In a bid to uphold the provisions of the Bodo Accord and further the cause of peace and stability in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), the Assam government has officially transferred administrative control of 41 villages from Biswanath district to the BTR.
The official announcement was made by the General Administration Department of the government, which issued a statement on Wednesday outlining the transfer of administrative control to the new district.
As per the statement issued by the General Administration Department, “the transfer of administrative control of all the different utilities, institutions, officers, etc. will be automatically vested upon the new district,” following the instructions issued by the Chief Secretary.
This administrative change aims to streamline governance and bring public services and resources closer to the communities in the newly incorporated villages.
The move comes after the Assam cabinet had previously approved the inclusion of these 41 villages from Biswanath into the BTR on September 12. Additionally, 19 more villages are expected to join the BTR in subsequent phases.
The Bodo Accord, a tripartite agreement signed in January 2020, was designed to bring lasting peace to the Bodo belt. It laid down the criteria for the inclusion of villages in the BTR, specifying that only villages with 80% or more Bodo population would be incorporated into the BTR.
This commitment to implement the Peace Accord was reiterated by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during his Republic Day speech in 2023.
In his address, Chief Minister Sarma had expressed the government’s intent to extend the boundary of the BTR council to Gohpur, particularly by including villages with a 100% Bodo majority, ensuring that the core spirit of the Bodo Accord is upheld.
