Number of disputed villages restricted to 86 from 123 under ‘Namsai Declaration’
HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, July 15: The state chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Arunachal Pradesh counterpart Pema Khandu on Friday signed an agreement to end border issues between the two states and decided to ‘restrict’ the number of disputed villages to 86 instead of 123.
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The chief ministers of the two North-eastern neighbours met at Namsai in Arunachal Pradesh and signed the agreement.
“We have decided to restrict the ‘disputed villages’ to 86 instead of 123. Based on our present boundary, we’ll try to resolve the rest by September 15, 2022,” Sarma tweeted.
He said that he is immensely happy to announce the signing of ‘Namsai Declaration’ at the chief minister’s level meeting between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
“Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and guided by Union Home minister Amit Shah, we could achieve this landmark in resolving our long-pending border disputes. This is a milestone in the history of our friendship and brotherhood,” Sarma added.
The declaration was signed by the two CMs in the presence of several cabinet ministers of both states.
It may be noted that the CM-level meeting between the chief minister of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh held on January 24 last and again on April 20, 2022 decided that all border issues between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh will be confined to those raised before the Local Commission in 2007.
Both the states constituted 12 regional committees each covering the 12 districts of Arunachal Pradesh and the counterpart districts of Assam for joint verification of 123 villages and thereafter make recommendations to respective state governments keeping in view the historical perspective, administrative convenience, contiguity and people’s will to delineate interstate boundary between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
Friday’s meeting between Sarma and Khandu agreed in principle with regard to 37 villages.
28 villages which are within the constitutional boundary of Arunachal Pradesh shall remain with Arunachal Pradesh.
Three villages on which claims were withdrawn by Arunachal Pradesh will remain with Assam and the location of six villages which could not be located on Assam side and if at all, these villages exist on Arunachal Pradesh side will continue with Arunachal Pradesh.
The Assam side apart from the chief minister was represented by members of Assam Cabinet Atul Bora, Ashok Singhal, Pijush Hazarika, Bimal Bora, Sanjan Kisan, MP Pradan Baruah, MLA Bolin Chetia and Taranga Gogoi. While the Arunachal Pradesh side was represented by chief minister Pema Khandu, deputy chief minister Chowna Mein and a host of ministers.
The two states share an 804.1 km-long border. The grievance of Arunachal Pradesh which was made a union territory in 1972 is that several forested tracts in the plains that had traditionally belonged to hill tribal chiefs and communities were unilaterally transferred to Assam.
After Arunachal Pradesh achieved statehood in 1987, a tripartite committee was appointed which recommended that certain territories be transferred from Assam to Arunachal. Assam contested this and the matter is in the Supreme Court.
