Mizoram, Assam Agree to Resolve Border Dispute

Aizawl: Mizoram and Assam on Friday agreed to make joint efforts to resolve long pending inter-state border dispute, an official statement said here.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswas Sarma on Friday morning invited his Mizoram counterpart Lalduhoma, who is currently in Guwahati, over a meal and both leers discussed border issue.

During meeting, Lalduhoma and Sarma agreed to make collective efforts to resolve border dispute between two norastern states, it said.

Both leers also agreed to maintain peace along borders as long as two neighbouring states hold border talks, it said.

Sarma told Lalduhoma that he will send minister in charge of border to Mizoram when ongoing budget session of Assam assembly is over.

Three Mizoram districts - Aizawl, Kolasib and Mamit - share a 164.6 km long border with Assam's Cachar, Karmganj and Hailankandi districts.

border dispute between two neighbouring states is a long-standing issue, which mainly stemmed from two colonial demarcations.

Mizoram claims that 509 square miles area of inner line reserved forest, notified in 1875 under Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) 1873, falls within its territory. Assam, on or hand, regarded border shown in a map prepared by Survey of India in 1933 as its constitutional boundary.

Vast areas within inner line reserved forest now fall under Assam. Similarly, a certain extent of area, as per 1933 demarcation, is now on Mizoram side. re is no ground demarcation of boundaries between two states.

border dispute between Mizoram and Assam h taken an ugly turn in July 2021 when police forces of two states exchanged fire at inter-state boundary, leing to death of six policemen and a civilian from Assam.