Maintenance of cordial relations between police forces agreed upon

AIZAWL, Aug 24: Mizoram and Assam on Wednesday agreed to maintain cordial relations between the police forces of the two states posted along the inter-state boundary, an official statement said.

Deputy commissioners of five border districts – Kolasib and Mamit in Mizoram, and Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi in Assam – held a meeting in Mizoram’s Vairengte town to discuss the border issue, it said.

The meeting was a follow-up of a decision taken at the ministerial-level talks held in Aizawl on August 9.

They also agreed to take measures to ensure that farmers on either side of the border continue with their agricultural activities undisturbed, it said.

During the meeting, which was held under a cordial atmosphere, a wide range of issues were discussed, including forging collective efforts to protect forest areas along the border, prevent hunting and illegal transportation of wild animals and felicitate selling of Mizoram-grown areca nuts in neighbouring states.

The issue of ongoing construction of bridges by Mizoram near Thinghlun and Zophai villages along the border was also discussed and it was agreed that higher authorities will be approached to resolve major problems on the matter.

Three districts of Mizoram – Aizawl, Kolasib and Mamit – share a 164.6-km-long boundary with Assam’s Hailakandi, Karimganj and Cachar districts.

The long-standing border dispute between the two states stems from two colonial demarcations of 1875 and 1933.

A violent clash took place on July 26 last year when the police forces of the two states exchanged fire near Vairengte leading to the death of six policemen and a civilian from Assam. Around 60 people were also injured in the incident.

On August 9, the two states held a ministerial-level meeting in Aizawl and agreed to maintain peace along the border.

According to a joint statement signed at the talks, both parties agreed to hold a meeting of deputy commissioners of bordering districts at least once every two months.

Both sides had also agreed that economic activities, including farming, which have been practiced by the people on either side of the border, should not be disturbed and decided to hold the next round of talks in October.

Earlier, chief minister Zoramthanga had conversed with his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma over the phone and agreed to hold chief minister-level talks in Delhi either in August-end or early September to resolve the vexed border dispute. (PTI)