STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma held another round of discussions with his Arunachal Pradesh counterpart Pema Khandu here on Thursday regarding the border dispute between the two states.
The two Chief Ministers deliberated on the progress achieved by the 12 regional committees jointly headed by ministers of the two states, among other bilateral issues.
Sarma said after the meeting, "I am certain that the two states would soon reach an agreement that would take care of sensitivities and aspirations of all."
On the other hand, Khandu said, "It is always a great delight to meet Assam's CM", and added that the Chief Ministers' level meeting is a watershed moment in the two states' collective resolve to address outstanding bilateral issues amicably.
It may be recalled that another meeting was held in Arunachal Pradesh recently between five ministers of Assam and Pema Khandu and his team to resolve the border dispute. After the meeting, both sides had stated that almost '80 per cent' of the border issue was likely to be resolved soon and the remaining 20 per cent would be resolved after the next Chief Ministerial-level meeting. The five ministers of Assam who attended that meeting were Atul Bora, Keshab Mahanta, Jayanta Mallabaruah, Bimal Borah and Sanjay Kishan.
After the earlier meeting, Khandu had said that the Arunachal-Assam inter-state boundary row would be resolved once and for all, probably by the end of November. He had said that the meeting could be termed the penultimate one in the series of meetings held between the two states after the historic Namsai Declaration. "In the first meeting between me and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at Namsai, the dispute over 123 villages along the border had been resolved. Today, we reached a consensus on the resolution of the dispute in many other villages. Another meeting will be held between me and my Assam counterpart for a final agreement and permanent solution. Both of us will try to resolve all disputes by the end of November," Khandu had said.
He had informed that following the Namsai Declaration, 12 committees were formed headed by a Cabinet minister – both by Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. These committees jointly visited the disputed areas, took feedback from people of both sides and submitted their reports to their respective state governments. "We discussed these reports district-wise in depth. I am happy that all reports are positive in effect and the committees of both the states have sincerely and jointly worked to find a permanent solution to this boundary issue," Khandu had said.
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