In an effort to put an end to the inter-state border dispute by the end of this year, the governments of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh signed the Namsai Declaration on Friday during a meeting at the chief minister level between the two states.
Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam, referred to the event as a turning point in the two North-East states’ history of friendship and brotherhood. Pema Khandu, his counterpart from Arunachal Pradesh, also voiced optimism that all boundary disputes affecting the disputed villages would be settled by year’s end.
“Along with Hon Arunachal Pradesh CM Shri @PemaKhanduBJP ji, we’ve decided to restrict the ‘disputed villages’ to 86 instead of 123. Based on our present boundary, we’ll try to resolve the rest by 15 Sept 2022,” Sarma tweeted following the meeting held in Namsai, Arunachal Pradesh.
After the Namsai Declaration was signed, Sarma addressed the media and stated that the aim of their effort was to build a durable peace in the northeast. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi-ji and Union home minister Amit Shah-ji are very keen to see that inter-state disputes between the northeastern states are resolved. Today, through the Namsai Declaration we have taken a very huge step forward,” he said.
Sarma claimed that initially, 123 villages were considered to be involved in the Assam-Arunachal conflict. But he also said that both governments had decided that the dispute could now only be settled in 86 villages after taking into account the Survey of India map and the deputy commissioners’ field reports.
“Almost 34 villages are actually within the constitutional boundary of Arunachal Pradesh. Three villages, Arunachal has already said are within Assam. Today is very historic because we have restricted the dispute from 123 to 86 villages,” Sarma added.
According to Sarma, the regional committees established by both state governments—which will be presided over by Assam and Arunachal ministers—would cooperate and attempt to reach a wider consensus by September 15th.
Pema Khandu, on the other hand, claimed that the border disputes persisted for seven decades as a result of a lack of political will in the past. According to him, the regional committees will visit the villages in parallel and listen to the locals’ grievances. “By September 15 an interim report will be submitted before both the state governments. After examining the same, it will be forwarded to the Centre for its consideration,” Khandu said