HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Aug 22: Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Friday said that his state and Assam have agreed to continue maintaining the status quo in the disputed border areas following renewed tensions along the inter-state boundary.
Addressing the conference of the Mizoram Police Service Association (MPSA) in Aizawl, Lalduhoma said he had spoken with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma immediately after the latest incident. “We have agreed to continue to respect and maintain the status quo in the disputed areas along the inter-state border, which we had already discussed earlier,” he said.
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Fresh tensions surfaced on August 15 when police personnel and forest officials from Assam allegedly entered Saikhawthlir village in Mizoram’s Mamit district and destroyed nearly 290 rubber plants cultivated by locals. The plantation, developed under the Chief Minister’s Rubber Mission, was managed by Mizoram’s Land Resources, Soil and Water Conservation Department.
The incident triggered protests in the area and prompted an emergency meeting between the Deputy Commissioners and police chiefs of Mamit (Mizoram) and Hailakandi (Assam) on Monday. Officials of both sides agreed to resolve the matter amicably and strengthen coordination to avoid recurrence, though each side maintained its claim over the land in question.
Mamit Deputy Commissioner K. Laltlawmlova stated that the disputed site falls under Mizoram’s Kawrtha Forest Division based on official maps of the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department. However, Hailakandi DC Abhishek Jain argued that the area lies within Assam’s Inner Line Reserve Forest under the Gharmura Range. Citing provisions of the Reserved Forest Act, 1980, he said rubber plantation in the area is prohibited and could attract scrutiny from the National Green Tribunal.
Mizoram shares a 164.6 km border with Assam’s Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts. The long-standing dispute stems from colonial-era demarcations of 1875 and 1933 and has often led to flare-ups, the most violent being in July 2021 at Vairengte when seven people were killed.
