Aizawl: Mizoram’s Home Minister K. Sapdanga chaired the seventh State Boundary Committee meeting on Wednesday, ahead of an official-level discussion with Assam scheduled for April 25 in Guwahati.
The talks aim to address the long-standing disputes along the 164.6 km border shared by the two northeastern states.
The Mizoram delegation, led by Home Secretary Vanlalmawia, will comprise seven officials.
This meeting follows a ministerial-level discussion held in Aizawl on August 9, 2024, which reaffirmed commitments to peace but failed to achieve significant progress due to insufficient groundwork at the official level.
During Wednesday’s meeting, the committee reviewed a report submitted by a four-member study group formed in January 2024.
Attendees included Revenue Minister B. Lalchhanzova, Chief Minister’s Political Adviser Pu Lalmuanpuia Punte, Chief Secretary (in-charge) H. Lalengmawia, and boundary experts.
The decades-old border dispute has roots in conflicting interpretations of historical boundary demarcations.
Mizoram bases its claims on a 509-square-mile forest reserve delineated under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) of 1875.
Assam, however, recognises the border defined by a 1933 Survey of India map.
Tensions have periodically flared, with the most violent incident occurring on July 26, 2021, when a clash near Vairengte village left six Assam police officers dead and others injured.
The ministerial discussions in August 2024 marked the first meeting after Mizoram’s Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), led by Chief Minister Lalduhoma, came to power.
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Mizoram had earlier submitted a list of 62 villages it claims as part of its territory to the Assam government, following agreements in prior discussions.
The upcoming meeting seeks to lay the groundwork for future ministerial-level deliberations, aiming to resolve disputes that have persisted since Mizoram’s separation from Assam in 1972.
Both states have reiterated their commitment to finding an amicable solution, though past efforts have yielded limited results.
