Assam and Arunachal to settle inter-state boundary dispute "out-of-court"

ITANAGAR:

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Thursday informed that the northeastern states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have agreed, in principle, to settle their inter-state boundary dispute out-of-court.

At a virtual meeting convened by the newly-appointed Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region G Kishan Reddy, Pema Khandu said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have stressed resolving the border disagreement amicably.

"The Inter-state boundary issue has been long pending. I have discussed it with my Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma and we have agreed to go for an out-of-court solution to all issues related to our boundary," he said.

Assam shares an 804-km boundary with Arunachal Pradesh and the disputes at several places have triggered violence in the past. A suit has been pending in the Supreme Court since 1989.

"We have already started working on the ground. If everything goes well in the next few months, we may see some concrete results towards instilling peace permanently along our boundaries," the chief minister added.

This move by Arunachal and Assam govt could serve as an example for other Northeastern states with boundary issues.

Besides Arunachal Pradesh, Assam is locked in several boundary disputes with Mizoram, Nagaland, and Meghalaya. Tripura and Mizoram are also entangled in such conflict on the border.

(Edited by Aparmita Das)

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