Itanagar, Oct 14 (PTI): Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have held the second regional committee meeting to resolve the decades-old boundary dispute involving Papum Pare district of Arunachal Pradesh and Biswanath and Lakhimpur districts of Assam, an official report said on Wednesday.
The Arunachal Pradesh delegation was led by Urban Affairs Minister Balo Raja and included Doimukh MLA Nabam Vivek and Papum Pare Deputy Commissioner Mamu Hage.
The Assam delegation was headed by Revenue Minister Keshab Mahanta and included Education Minister Ranoj Pegu and MP Ranjit Dutta.
During the meeting, the respective deputy commissioners presented details of progress made and joint field inspections conducted since the first session on January 9, 2023.
Officials said the disputed border villages had been classified into three categories to facilitate resolution.
Category I comprises nine disputed villages, Category II includes 22 villages with minor localised disputes, and Category III covers two complex villages where consensus is yet to be reached, the report added.
To ensure a peaceful and lasting settlement, both state governments agreed to maintain the status quo as per the agreed cut-off dates, prevent fresh encroachments and tree felling, and initiate due procedures to withdraw FIRs registered against officials from either side.
The committee also called for the immediate installation of boundary pillars in Category I villages.
Disputes involving Category II villages will be resolved at the district administration level.
The district administrations have been asked to engage the Survey of India to begin formal boundary demarcation within two months, the report said.
For the two unresolved Category III villages, a roadmap will be prepared through consultations involving local MLAs, district officials and residents before the next regional committee meeting, scheduled for late December 2026.
The Assam-Arunachal dispute dates back to 1951 when over 3,600 sq km of plain areas were transferred from the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) to Assam following the recommendations of the Gopinath Bordoloi committee.
Arunachal Pradesh subsequently contested these transfers after gaining Union Territory status in 1972 and full statehood in 1987. Although a High-Powered Tripartite Committee recommended using the 1951 line in 1980, disputes persisted over settlements extending past the notified boundary.
The current momentum follows the landmark Namsai Declaration signed on July 15, 2022, by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, which rationalised the list of disputed villages from 123 to 86 and established 12 Regional Committees to finalise ground-level demarcation.
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