Guwahati: The third round of negotiations between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh will take place on Friday in an effort to settle the boundary conflict. The Chief Ministers of the both the state will meet today to discuss pending points of the issue.
The gathering will be the third of its kind between the two states and will take place in Arunachal’s Namsai. The state governments will establish district-level committees under the direction of cabinet ministers to address the long-standing boundary issue, it was determined at the most recent meeting.
Arunachal, which was carved out of Assam, was initially a Union territory. It attained full statehood in 1987. The boundary between the two states is 804.1 kilometres long. The Supreme Court is now hearing arguments on the boundary dispute, which developed following the reorganisation of the North-eastern states. The meeting’s decision is important for 123 villages near the border between Assam and Arunachal.
Arunachal CM Pema Khandu, stated to media that both states had agreed to settle the dispute out of court. “The contentious boundary dispute between Arunachal Pradesh and Assam has persisted for more than seven decades, and the Honourable Supreme Court is currently hearing the case. But today, at the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Himanta dada, and I have agreed to settle this dispute through negotiation and out of court, the Arunachal chief minister said.
“I am happy to announce that both CMs, both Chief Secretaries, and the chairs of both committees will be discussing the issue at Namsai on July 15. I have a lot of faith that our discussions will result in productive outcomes. I must extend my sincere gratitude to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Ji for his proactive and upbeat involvement during the entire process,” he said.
According to Minister Pijush Hazarika, the state administration of Assam was optimistic about the meeting.
“Under the stern direction of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, this will be a historic meeting between the two states to tackle decades-old concerns. Like Assam and Meghalaya a few months ago, I hope the disagreement between the two neighbouring states will be addressed quickly,” Hazarika said.