Northeast Desk, 30th July: Mizoram and Assam are set to resume border talks next month, aiming to resolve their long-standing inter-state boundary dispute. This will be the first meeting between the northeastern neighbors since their last discussions in November 2022 in Guwahati.
Mizoram Home Minister K. Sapdanga announced that the next round of talks is scheduled for August 9 in Aizawl. “The Assam home secretary communicated last week about their intention to come to Aizawl for talks. We have conveyed our consent after consulting Chief Minister Lalduhoma,” Sapdanga told PTI.
The Mizoram delegation will be led by Sapdanga, while Assam’s team will be headed by Border Protection and Development Minister Atul Bora. Sapdanga expressed optimism about reaching a positive outcome to bring an amicable solution to the dispute, which has remained unresolved for decades.
Despite Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma agreeing in February to send Bora to Mizoram in March, the talks were delayed due to the Lok Sabha elections, according to Sapdanga. He noted that there has been no violation of the status quo from either side since the violent clash in July 2021, which resulted in the death of six policemen and a civilian from Assam.
Three Mizoram districts—Aizawl, Kolasib, and Mamit—share a 164.6 km border with Assam’s Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi districts. The dispute primarily stems from two colonial demarcations in 1875 and 1933. Mizoram claims that 509 square miles of the inner line reserved forest, notified in 1875 under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) 1873, falls within its territory. Assam, however, regards the map prepared by the Survey of India in 1933 as its constitutional boundary.
Large areas within the inner line reserved forest now fall under Assam, while certain sections demarcated in 1933 are now on the Mizoram side. There is no ground demarcation of boundaries between the two states.
Since August 2021, the states have held several rounds of talks, including three ministerial-level meetings, agreeing to maintain peace along the boundary and resolve the dispute through dialogue. The upcoming talks are seen as a crucial step towards a peaceful resolution.