border disputes

Itanagar, March 27: Ministers and officials from the Indian states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh recently attended a meeting to discuss the long-standing border disputes between the two neighbours.

The meeting aimed to find a lasting solution to the problem, according to the Assam ministers who led the state delegation. The meeting was jointly presided over by Cabinet colleagues Jayanta Malla Baruah and Tumke Bagra, with district MLAs and senior officers present.

Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu tweeted about the meeting, saying, “We deliberated on finding a permanent solution to the border dispute between the two states”.

Baruah also tweeted about the meeting, describing it as a five-hour-long regional committee meeting to deliberate on the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border issue. He expressed hope that a proper solution would be found soon on amicable terms, under the leadership of Home Minister Amit Shah.

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The two states have been engaging in discussions to resolve border disputes, with the chief ministers of both states signing the Namsai Declaration on July 15, 2021.

The declaration pledged to find solutions to the issue soon, with both states agreeing to restrict the disputed villages to 86 instead of the previous 123.

Arunachal Pradesh was made a union territory in 1972, and since then has grieved over several forested tracts in the plains that had traditionally belonged to hill tribal chiefs and communities but were unilaterally transferred to Assam.

After Arunachal Pradesh became a state in 1987, a tripartite committee was appointed which recommended that certain territories be transferred from Assam to Arunachal. However, Assam contested this, and the matter is now before the Supreme Court.

The two states share an 804.1 km-long border, and the border disputes have been a long-standing issue between them. The recent meeting between the ministers and officials of the two states reflects their commitment to finding a permanent solution to the problem.