Center working to resolve border issues between northeastern states: Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio told the Assembly on Tuesday that the central government is working to resolve all inter-state border issues between the northeastern states ahead of the celebration of 75th year of independence.
Responding to questions from opposition legislators Dr Chumben Mari and Imkong L Imchen, Rio said he had a telephonic conversation with his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma and discussed de-escalation and maintaining peace in the disputed border area. .
Rio said on July 31 that the two states had signed an agreement to ease tensions in the villages of Ao Senden and Wikuto. He said that both the governments withdrew their respective police posts from the long-disputed border.
“We have also decided to do satellite mapping to check that there are no new entries or activities in those areas,” he said.
Rio also highlighted that he and Sarma had discussed border issues with Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the NEC meeting in Meghalaya’s Shillong last month.
Shah categorically said that all these inter-state border problems should be resolved before the celebration of 75th year of independence.
“We (Rio and Sarma) agreed that a Supreme Court case, which is still pending, cannot resolve the boundary issue,” he said.
Earlier, in a written reply to a question raised by MLA Dr. Chumben Murree in the Assembly, Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton said that the Nagaland government had recently taken steps to counter Assam’s efforts to establish new borders with Vikuto, Ao Senden and Tsutapela has strengthened its manpower at the gate. outpost
He said the state administration is on alert and ready to compensate for any move by Assam.
Patton also said that media reports have revealed that the Assam government has plans to set up camps at strategic locations along the inter-state border, but there has been no official communication.
Citing the recent agreement between the two states, MLA Imkong L. Imchen said the document has not been made available in the House. He also asked how the government wanted to keep the machinery on alert and prepared itself to counter any move by Assam.
He also urged Speaker Sharingan Longkumer to allow discussion on the boundary issue in the ongoing session of the Assembly. The discussion on the Assam-Nagaland border is listed on August 5.
Chumben alleged that the Nagaland government has become “satisfied and careless” with the border problems. Murry said that reducing tension in the border areas is not enough, but efforts should be made to build rapport and create mutual understanding among the residents there.
Observing that the Department of Border Affairs has not been given its due importance, he appealed to the Government to be more proactive. Assam and Nagaland share a 512.1 km long border.
The border dispute started soon after Nagaland became a state in 1963.
The Nagaland State Act of 1962 defined the boundaries of the state as per a 1925 notification when the Naga Hills and Tuensang region was integrated into a new administrative unit.
Nagaland, however, did not accept the boundary delimitation and demanded that the state should also contain all Naga-dominated areas in the North Cachar and Nagaon districts of Assam. There have been several major clashes along the inter-state border since 1965.
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