Aizawl: The Mizoram government has proposed initiating official-level talks with Assam in early April to address the long-standing boundary disputes between the two states.
An official from the Mizoram government confirmed that a proposal has been sent to Assam, suggesting Guwahati as the venue for the discussions, aimed at resolving issues along the 164.6-km shared border.
The upcoming talks are intended to set the groundwork for subsequent ministerial-level discussions.
According to the official, prior groundwork through official-level meetings is essential for achieving substantial progress at the ministerial level.
The last ministerial-level talks, held in August 2024 in Aizawl, reaffirmed both states’ commitment to peace but failed to make significant headway due to a lack of preparatory discussions.
In the August 9 meeting, Assam’s Border Protection and Development Minister, Atul Bora, expressed optimism about finding an amicable resolution, while Mizoram Home Minister K Sapdanga echoed similar sentiments.
Sapdanga also noted that Mizoram had submitted a list of 62 border villages within its claimed territory, as per the agreement reached in a prior meeting in November 2022.
Mizoram’s Aizawl, Kolasib, and Mamit districts share borders with Assam’s Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi districts.
The border area has witnessed tensions, with the most violent incident occurring on July 26, 2021, near Vairengte village, where a clash between the police forces of both states resulted in six deaths and multiple injuries.
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Mizoram bases its territorial claims on a reserved forest area delineated in 1875 under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) of 1873.
In contrast, Assam adheres to the border outlined in a 1933 map by the Survey of India.
The dispute originated in 1972 when Mizoram, previously a district of Assam, became a Union Territory without clear boundary demarcation under the North-East Areas Reorganisation Act, 1971.
The upcoming talks reflect a renewed effort to resolve this decades-old conflict, with both states expressing a commitment to fostering peace and stability along their disputed border.
