GUWAHATI:
There is no consensus among the members of two regional committees (set up to resolve border row) on three villages along Assam’s Charaideo district and Arunachal Pradesh’s Longding district even as the two states are heading for a final round of talks at this month end.
“Despite three rounds of meetings, there is no consensus on three villages in Charaideo district. The CM-level talk will finalise the fate of these three villages,” said Atul Bora, border affairs minister, Assam.
“Even as there are three villages, the area is still known as Bimalapur in the Assam side,” said Jiban Saikia of Saraipung, a small tea grower.
“The chief minister-level talks are expected to be held in November end. We have reasons to believe that these three villages will be included in the map of Arunachal Pradesh as there is no valid ground of Assam government to claim over it,” Saikia said.
Bimalpur which is 23 km off Sonari, the district headquarters of Charaideo, was once a part of Sivsagar district. From 1970 to 1985 Assam government published a voter list which included Nahar Bari (No 1 Saraipung as called by local people while it is called Kamku Rucha, Tanglam and No 2 Saraipung by Arunachalis).
“The voter list included 55 families in Kamku Basti and 27 families in Tanglam Basti (both Basti is called it No 1 Saraipung in Assam). Ashim Basti or Hachirucha is known as No 2 Saraipung in Assam, where is 139 families were staying. Ashim Basti Hachi Rucha is dominated by Wangsu community,” Saikia also said.
But Bimalapur is history now. The area is now under the control of Arunachal Pradesh. They have set up schools, hospitals, government offices, develop infrastructure facilities. But there is nothing done by the Assam government to develop the area in the last decades,” Saikia further said.
Since the area is non-cadastral, the Assam government could not provide benefits of welfare and development to the people even as these three villages come within the constitutional boundary of Assam. As there is no development from the Assam side, the people rushed to Arunachal Pradesh for their fundamental needs.
Arunachal Pradesh government continued its welfare and development projects in the area. Since 1998, the Arunachal Pradesh government has been putting untiring effort to develop the area by improving road infrastructure, electrification, drinking water, schools and health care services to the people of the area.
In the later period, the voter list of Nahar Bari (No 1 Saraipung) disappeared mysteriously. Kanubari inside Arunachal Pradesh is the polling centre for the people of the area.
“On August 13, 2010, an Assam Police battalion was extensively damaged due to an explosion from Arunachal side which forced the state police to retaliate. During gunfight, a Naga youth Taijem Wangjhen was killed,” said Chem Sun Cherua, president, Saraipung Regional Small Tea Growers Association.
In another incident, many shelter houses of small tea growers were set fire by Arunachali miscreants in No 1 and No 2 Saraipung. This incident had invited protests from various organisations in Assam leading to an economic blockade against Arunachal Pradesh.
On August 27 2010, then health and education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma along with his few colleagues visited the interior parts of the border.
But the insurgent group, NSCN (I-M) along with a few miscreants targeted him by firing at him several rounds even though he managed to survive the attack somehow.
Standing on the bridge of the Tiok River, Sarma said that historically Teok River is the border of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh and this border would remain in future.
Sarma also added, “We will not leave a single inch of land to Arunachal Pradesh.
In 2014, tension escalated between the two states following the move of Arunachal Pradesh to set up a polling centre in the villages which were later foiled by the Assam administration.
On August 19, 2022, a group of personnel of the forest department entered the Dilli Reserved Forest to conduct a survey. Seeing this local people detained them in the place and informed the matter to the deputy commissioner of Charaideo. This Dilli Reserved Forest area is extended to Dehing Patkai Rain Forest.
Following the initiatives of two chief ministers- Pema Khandu and Himanta Biswa Sarma to resolve the five-decade-long boundary dispute, especially after the signing of Namsai Declaration on July 15, both the states formed two regional committees to prepare the report for a solution.
The regional committee was headed by minister Bimal Bora from Assam side while the regional committee from (Longding) Arunachal Pradesh was headed by minister Honchun Ngandam.
The first regional committee met on August 26, 2022. The second meeting of the regional committee was held in Saraipung Garhkush on September 9, 2022.
The third round of meeting held on October 10, 2022, remained inconclusive. The meeting was held at the conference hall of the Deputy Commissioner’s office at Charaideo.
Two regional committees on August 26, 2022, visited three villages namely Kamkuh Rusa, Tanglam Rusa and Hasse Rusa which are under the effective administration of Arunachal Pradesh and observed that all developmental works have been undertaken by Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh.
“The joint physical verification conducted on August 29 and 30 established beyond reasonable doubts that all the government and private institutions and tea gardens are established by the Arunachal Pradesh government and the local populace of the three villages,” a senior official said.
Besides, the documents which have been verified during the household survey are all issued by the Arunachal Pradesh government.
“As per the local Boundary Commission 2007, the disputed villages within the radius of 3 km from the yellow line are to be accepted where they want to be, hence, all the three villages – Kamkuh Rusa, Hosse Rusa and Tanglam Rusa fall within the radius of 3 km. Ranglua and Longkhojan earlier included in 123 villages have been declared undisputed in the ‘Namsai Declaration’. Hence both villages are part of Arunachal Pradesh. So no further discussion is required,” he said.
In a joint statement after the third round of meeting Assam minister, Bimal Bora said, “The only concern of the people of Assam is that after the settlement in a particular area, the willingness of the Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh to declare the villages as part of Arunachal Pradesh,” Borah said. He further stated that the boundary between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh has always been the Tiok River.”