To resolve a 51-year-old interstate boundary dispute, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Thursday in New Delhi.
In the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, who represents Arunachal Pradesh in the Lok Sabha, the MoU was signed by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his counterpart from Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Khandu.
“In the history of India and the northeast, we are living in a historic period. The Assam and Arunachal Pradesh border issue, which dated back to 1972, has been definitively settled. It’s a significant accomplishment and a turning point in the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a peaceful, developed, and conflict-free northeast, according to Shah.
“Today’s agreement between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh to resolve an interstate boundary dispute marks a significant turning point. The Northeast will benefit from this in terms of peace and prosperity, according to Sarma.
This historic event will assure enduring peace, promote regional growth, and promote overall prosperity in the northeast, according to Khandu.
The shared border between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh is 804 kilometres long. Although there was initially no conflict, claims that citizens of one state were intruding on the territory of the other sparked clashes and violence. The Supreme Court has been dealing with a lawsuit about the matter since 1989.
On the request of Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, both states decided to resolve their disagreement through negotiations in 2021.
“There was a disagreement involving 123 border communities that were dispersed throughout practically the entire 800 kilometres of the border. Permanent peace will result from the deal… The government of Arunachal Pradesh owned some property in Jorhat, Assam. They have agreed to release it to us at our request,” Sarma added.
According to the agreement, neither state will make any new claims over any region or village in the future. This agreement will be final with regard to the 123 disputed communities.
