Assam, Arunachal Pradesh Agree To Resolve Decades-Old Border Dispute

While Arunachal Pradesh will retain the 28 villages within its constitutional boundary, the state has withdrawn its claim over three villages in Assam.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Arunachal Pradesh counterpart Pema Khandu on Friday signed an agreement to end the decades-old border dispute between the two states. The two leaders agreed to restrict the number of contested villages to 86 instead of 123.

"We have decided to restrict the 'disputed villages' to 86 instead of 123. Based on our present boundary, we'll try to resolve the rest by September 15, 2022," Mr Sarma tweeted after the meeting at Namsai in Arunachal Pradesh. Mr Khandu also announced about the agreement through a tweet.

Earlier the two leaders had met on January 24, and again on April 20 during which it was decided that all border issues between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh will be confined to those raised before the Local Commission in 2007.

Both the States constituted 12 Regional Committees each covering the 12 districts of Arunachal Pradesh and the counterpart districts of Assam for joint verification of 123 villages and thereafter make recommendations to respective state governments keeping in view the historical perspective, administrative convenience, contiguity and people's will to delineate the interstate boundary between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.