Aizawl: Mizoram legislator Lalrinsanga Ralte has called on the state government to reinforce security along its border with Assam, cautioning that tensions could rise ahead of the neighbouring state’s assembly elections, expected to be held in April.
Participating in the budget discussion of the Home department in the state assembly on Wednesday, the opposition Mizo National Front MLA from the Serlui Assembly Constituency alleged that border-related issues are often used for political advantage during elections in Assam.
Ralte urged the Mizoram government to stay alert and take preventive measures to avoid any attempt at territorial encroachment along the inter-state boundary.
The MLA, who represents an area in Kolasib district that shares a border with Assam, recalled that after the violent clashes between the two states in 2021, several disputed locations were placed under a status quo arrangement.
He claimed that while Mizoram has adhered to the agreed arrangements, the Assam side has allegedly failed to respect the status quo at several points along the border.
Three districts of Mizoram — Aizawl district, Kolasib district and Mamit district — share a 164.6-km boundary with Assam’s Cachar district, Sribhumi district and Hailakandi district.
The long-standing border dispute between the two northeastern states stems largely from conflicting colonial-era demarcations — one based on the 1875 boundary under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation and another drawn in 1933 — and has remained unresolved for decades.
Despite the differences, both states have held several rounds of talks in recent years in an effort to settle the contentious boundary issue.
Ralte also pointed out disparities in infrastructure development along the border, saying that while both states initially set up access roads and temporary duty posts during the peak of the dispute, Assam has since upgraded many of its temporary Border Outposts into permanent and stronger facilities.
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He criticised what he described as the slow pace of development on the Mizoram side and warned that the state government could be held responsible if security challenges emerge in the future due to inadequate preparedness.
