Aizawl: Officials from Mizoram and Assam will meet in Guwahati on April 25 to address their long-standing boundary dispute, according to Mizoram Home Minister K Sapdanga.
The minister told reporters that the official-level talks are scheduled, with the composition of Mizoram’s delegation, likely led by Home Secretary Vanlalmawia, still pending finalization.
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The upcoming meeting follows previous ministerial-level discussions, and its outcome will determine the timing of the next round of ministerial talks.
The Assam government initially proposed talks in March, but Mizoram declined due to its assembly session and a visit from Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The 164.6 km border between Mizoram (Aizawl, Kolasib, and Mamit districts) and Assam (Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi districts) has been a source of contention for decades.
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The dispute centers on conflicting colonial-era demarcations: the 1875 Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR), which Mizoram uses to claim 509 square miles of the Inner Line Reserved Forest, and a 1933 Survey of India map, which Assam cites as its constitutional boundary.
This discrepancy has led to overlapping claims and a lack of ground demarcation.
The border region has witnessed several violent escalations, notably a clash in July 2021 near Vairengte village that resulted in seven deaths.
Since August 2021, both states have engaged in four rounds of ministerial-level talks, alongside official and district-level discussions, to seek a resolution.
The last ministerial meeting, held in Aizawl on August 9, 2023, emphasized maintaining peace along the border and upholding previous agreements.