NEW DELHI: The Assam and the Arunachal Pradesh governments on Thursday signed an agreement here in presence of Union home minister Amit Shah to resolve their decades-old boundary issues.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Arunachal Pradesh counterpart Pema Khandu, in presence of Union law minister Kiren Rijiju and other dignitaries at the Union home ministry.
Assam and Arunachal Pradesh share an 804.1-km-long border which has been in dispute since the latter was made a Union territory in 1972.
The two states have been in discussions to resolve the border dispute with Sarma and Khandu signing the Namsai Declaration on July 15 last wherein they pledged to find a solution soon.
Out of the 123 villages claimed by Arunachal Pradesh before the Local Commission in 2007, 71 have been amicably resolved so far. This includes 27 villages resolved through the Namsai Declaration on July 15, 2022 and 34 villages through this MoU.
Out of three 71 villages, one village will be included in Assam from Arunachal Pradesh, 10 villages will continue in Assam and 60 villages will be included in Arunachal Pradesh from Assam.
Out of the remaining 52 villages, the village boundary of 49 villages is to be finalised by the regional committees in next six months while three villages situated inside the IAF bombing range will require rehabilitation.
Officials said the agreement will end the dispute relating to 123 villages along the border keeping in view the historical perspective, demographic profile, administrative convenience, proximity to the border, and the aspirations of the residents.
Speaking at the occasion, the home minister termed the agreement as a “historic” event and said it ended decades long disputes. “We all have witnessed a historic moment in the Northeast and India with over 700-kilometre long border dispute between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, pending since decades being completely resolved,” Shah said.
The home minister said that both the states formed regional committees to settle the dispute, talked to the common people, and worked to include everyone in this effort. Shah exuded optimism that the boundary settlement would usher in all-round development and peace in the Northeast.
“It is a big moment for the entire northeastern region which has been witnessing all-round development ever since the Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014," he said.
Sarma said the pact is a “big and successful” moment while his Arunachal Pradesh counterpart described this as a "historic" one.
Noting that after 51 years, one of India's longest running inter-state disputes comes to a decisive end, Sarma said that this breakthrough has been possible due to the prime minister's blessings, guidance of the union home minister, and unstinted support from Arunachal Pradesh chief minister.
Khandu termed the settlement of the boundary dispute as "momentous and historic" and exuded confidence that it would bring about a sea change on the peace and development of both the states.
