- NET Web Desk
The Mizoram Chief Minister – Zoramthanga and his Assam counterpart – Himanta Biswa Sarma is all set to hold talks on September 19; in order to find an amicable solution to the long-standing border disputes between the two northeastern states.
The CMO official, who is accompanying Zoramthanga in New Delhi, said that the meeting will take place in the national capital. However, the venue is yet to be decided.
“The two chief ministers conversed over the phone on Friday and decided to hold a meeting on the border issue on September 19 in New Delhi,” noted the official.
Its worthy to note that Mizoram shares a 164.6-km long boundary with Assam, which has witnessed disputes in the recent years. The decades-old boundary dispute between the two northeastern states mainly erupted from two colonial demarcations in 1875 and 1933.
Mizoram recognized the demarcation established under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BERF) notified in 1875, which covers extensive areas, that currently falls under Assam. However, the Assam administration pointed-out the 1933 notification’s delineation which falls within constitutional bounds.
Atleast six policemen and a civilian from Assam died in 2021, while nearly 60 people were injured in an altercation that occurred at a disputed location, adjacent to the inter-state border. In August 2021, the representatives of both states had held talks in Mizoram’s capital Aizawl.
Following the tragic incident, both the state governments consented to uphold tranquilly and negotiate a peaceful settlement of the interstate boundary dispute.
