Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) on Friday expressed disappointment over Mizoram government’s alleged slackness to resolve the inter-state boundary dispute with Assam and said it will make yet another attempt to construct a resting shed at Zophai, near Bairabi along the inter-state boundary.
Also read: Joint survey along Assam-Mizoram boundary hits roadblocks
MZP president L Ramdinliana Renthlei alleged that the State Government was not sincere enough to resolve the inter-state boundary dispute as it ‘failed’ to conduct a consultative meeting over the options placed by the Centre during a meeting of officials from Mizoram and Assam at Silchar in April last, to resolve the long pending boundary dispute.
Interacting with media in Aizawl on Friday Renthlei said that the apex students’ body of Mizoram had intimated the Centre’s proposal of resolving the inter-state boundary dispute to the State Home Additional Secretary, Lalbiakzama, who suggested discussion of the matter with the Chief Minister.
But the Chief Minister’s office is yet to summon a consultative meeting on the issue, Renthlei added.
He, however, lauded the Centre’s efforts to resolve the long pending border dispute between Assam and Mizoram.
“The Union Ministry of Home Affairs was sincere in its effort to resolve the border dispute. But unfortunately the State Government is maintaining a strange kind of leniency,” Renthlei further said.
He also said that the Union Home Ministry, during a meeting at Silchar on April 21, had proposed two options for continuation of the joint survey by Assam and Mizoram officials to identify illegal structures along the border.
The Union Ministry proposed to conduct a survey within the same diameter on both sides of the border especially in the disputed area and along the 509 square mile inner line reserve forest area and asked the Mizoram team to accept constitutional map drawn in 1993, he added.
Renthlei also said that the Centre had asked Mizoram officials to consult the State Government regarding the proposal for continuation of the joint inspection as the official told the meeting that they could not discuss about the border issue as it was outside their purview.
The joint survey work by Assam and Mizoram to identify illegal structures along the inter-state boundary of the two states that began on April 12 has been temporarily suspended following a dispute over zero point at Dholchera-Phaisen area on April 18.
