Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga said on Thursday that he and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma have decided to increase the fencing along their inter-state border.
Zoramthanga and Sarma met to resolve their boundary disputes reportedly after the Union home ministry intervened on the matter, officials told PTI.
Sarma said on Twitter on Friday that he and Zoramthanga reaffirmed their resolve to maintain peace and tranquility at the state border. He also expressed gratitude to Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his “guidance and support”.
“It has been decided that both the states will constitute committees for resolving the border disputes through discussions,” Sarma said. “Towards this end, chief ministers’ level talks will also take place from time to time.”
The Assam chief minister said that both state governments will deal with the matter very sensitively, ANI reported.
Assam and Mizoram share a 164.6 km-long border, and the states have often sparred over it, sometimes violently.
In July, violence had erupted along the border in which five Assam police officers were killed. On August 5, Assam and Mizoram signed a joint declaration to find a lasting solution to the border conflict.
Several rounds of dialogue at various levels since 1994 have failed to resolve the disagreement between Assam and Mizoram.
In 1972, Mizoram was carved out of Assam and made into a separate Union Territory. In 1987, it became a full-fledged state. The three South Assam districts of Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj share the border with Mizoram’s Kolasib, Mamit and Aizawl districts.
Following the incident in July, Shah had asked both the chief ministers to find a solution to the border dispute. The home minister had also held a meeting in Shillong to resolve the row.
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