Mizoram, Assam agree to work together to resolve decades-long border issue

AIZAWL: Mizoram chief minister Lalduhoma on Tuesday said that Mizoram and Assam have mutually agreed not to allow further violence along the inter-state border till the border dispute is resolved.

Addressing a press conference in Aizawl on Tuesday, Lalduhoma said that he recently met his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswas Sarma in Guwahati and both discussed the border issue.

He said that the two neighbouring states agreed to maintain peace along the border and resolve the long-standing dispute at a time when peace prevailed.

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"We agreed that no more violence is created until the border dispute is resolved. We have been making efforts to resolve the dispute at this time when there is no violence, " Lalduhoma said. 

Lalduhoma said that Assam border area development minister Atul Bora will visit Mizoram next month.

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

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

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

Vast areas within the inner line reserved forest now fall under Assam. Similarly, a certain extent of the area, as per the 1933 demarcation, is now on the Mizoram side.

There is no ground demarcation of boundaries between the two states.

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

More than 60 people were also injured in the violent clash that took place in the disputed area near Mizoram’s Vairengte village.

The two states have held several rounds of talks, including three ministerial-level meetings since August 21 and agreed to maintain peace along the boundary and resolve the dispute through dialogue.