Union Home Minister Amit Shah with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma (left) and Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu during the signing of the boundary agreement between the two states, in Delhi on April 20. (Image: PTI)
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma held several rounds of meetings to resolve the border issue. He signed the final agreement in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah
The governments of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in New Delhi to end the decades-long border dispute.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma held several rounds of meetings to resolve the border issue. He signed the final agreement in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
how it’s made
Both the states had formed zonal committees which made proposals to resolve the long-pending issue.
This is being seen as a major success of the BJP in the Northeast ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Resolving inter-state border disputes has been the priority and election promise of the Center for 2019.
why is it important
Arunachal Pradesh and Assam share a border of about 804 km. A case was pending in the Supreme Court on this issue since 1989.
The case dates back to 1972 when NEFA (Northeast Frontier Agency) was declared a Union Territory. In 1987, NEFA became Arunachal Pradesh. Arunachal then claimed most of the forest area on the border which was then under Assam.
the challenges
In April 1979, a high-powered tripartite committee was constituted for boundary delineation on the Survey of India maps.
While about 489 km out of 804 km was demarcated by 1983-84, further exercise could not take place as Arunachal did not accept the recommendations.
It claimed a substantial portion of 3,648 sq km, which was transferred to Assam as per the 1951 report.
Assam objected to this and filed a case in the Supreme Court in 1989 highlighting the “encroachment” by Arunachal Pradesh.
To resolve this between the two states, the apex court in 2006 appointed a local boundary commission headed by a retired SC judge.
The findings were presented in September 2014. However, there was no agreement between the two states.
In 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Underscored the importance of resolving the inter-state border disputes of the Northeast as a key agenda of his government and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the two states resolved to settle the border dispute out of court through dialogue.
Namsai Declaration
In July last year, the two states signed the Namsai Declaration, agreeing to reduce the number of disputed villages from 123 to 86 and resolve the boundary line by forming 12 committees headed by cabinet ministers who visited the disputed areas. Took feedback from residents, and presented reports.
Consequences of the Interstate Border Dispute
According to estimates, between 1979 and 2022, more than 160 people died in border disputes between Assam and neighboring breakaway states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland. Additionally, over 370 people were injured in such incidents during the period, which also saw the displacement of over 75,000 people.
The most recent incident of border violence leading to the killing of six people near a disputed section on the Assam-Meghalaya border in November last year disrupted talks between the two states.
what will change and what will not
As per the notified boundary, one village of Arunachal Pradesh will be included in Assam. 60 villages of Assam will now be counted as part of Arunachal Pradesh.
No change will be seen in the 10 disputed villages of Assam. The matter of rest of the disputed villages will be decided in the next few months.
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