Assam Delegation To Visit Mizoram on Aug 9-10 To Discuss Border Dispute

Guwahati: In a bid to discuss the decades-old border dispute, a five-member delegation of the Assam government will visit Mizoram on August 9 to 10.

As per a report by ANI, the delegation of the Assam government will be headed by Assam Border Protection and Development Minister Atul Bora and he will be accompanied by state Housing and Urban Minister Ashok Singhal and three other officials.

The delegation will meet the representative of the Mizoram government and will discuss the solution to the border dispute.

''Both the states will discuss border issues so as to maintain peace in the region,'' ANI quoted GD Tripathi, Commissioner & Secretary of Assam Border Protection & Development Department as saying.

Several conflicts have taken place in the last few years following the border dispute, and one of these incidents claimed the lives of six Assam policemen and one civilian. They were killed in a fierce gun battle between the two states.

Besides this, at least 50 people were injured in the incident.

Notably, in July this year, after reaching a consensus with Meghalaya in six disputed stretches and signing the Namsai Declaration with Arunachal Pradesh, Assam is focused on Mizoram to resolve its boundary disputes.

"We have been in touch with the Mizoram government after the untoward incident that took the lives of several Assam Police personnel last year. I had talks with the Mizoram Home Minister and Border Protection Minister several times through video conferencing. We hold such talks from time to time. I get positive responses from them," Atul Bora had told The Sentinel.

"Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma believes in an out-of-court settlement of border disputes with the neighbouring states. A major plus point with Mizoram is that we have no boundary case pending in any court. I hope we can settle the boundary disputes under the leadership of our Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Mizoram counterpart. It may take time, but we need to start talks to reach a logical end. Boundary dialogue with Mizoram is our next mission," he added.

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