Centre Intervenes to End Assam-Nagaland Border Row

NEW DELHI: The Central government has made a reconciliatory effort in order to end the decades-old boundary dispute between the northeast states of Assam and Nagaland and have asked for suggestions from both the states to be submitted within two weeks.

The Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang and his Assam counterpart, Tarun Gogoi initially met Prime Minister Narendra Modi separately in New Delhi on Wednesday, October 29.

While Zeliang apprised Modi on the prevailing situation in his state and informed him of the steps being taken by the state government for the state’s overall development, Tarun Gogoi briefed the PM on the prevailing security situation in HIS state and steps being taken to end the insurgency problem there.

Later, a high-level meeting took place which was attended by both the Chief Ministers and chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. In this meeting which was also attended by senior officials of the Home and Political Department of both the States, efforts were made to facilitate an acceptable final solution to the ongoing border dispute between the two states.

During the meeting, Home Ministers urged the Chief Ministers of both the states to maintain people-to-people contact along the inter-state border to strengthen peace and harmony.

Further, the CM’s were asked to find an amicable solution to the vexed border row.

A CMO press release read that Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and his Nagaland counterpart TR Zeliang agreed to maintain peace and harmony in the border areas, adding that both of them agreed to abide by the directive of the Supreme Court on the boundary dispute. it added.

Additionally, as per the decision taken during the meeting, the Chief Secretaries of the two states will submit suggestions to the Home Ministry within two weeks, which is expected to pave the way for solving this long lasting border issue.

The Home Minister is taking a sincere reconciliatory effort to find a solution to be acceptable to both Assam and Nagaland,” a Home Ministry official was quoted as saying.

The boundary dispute first cropped up in 1970s and has been going on very often since then.

In August this year, eleven people were killed along the Assam-Nagaland border in Golaghat district and nearly 10,000 people were displaced and have taken shelter in relief camps after these clashes.