GUWAHATI:
A joint team of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh visited Kamengbari and Bhalukpong along the disputed Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border on August 27.
Arunachal Pradesh team was led by Arunachal Pradesh tourism, transport and civil aviation minister Nakap Nalo and the Assam team was led by urban areas development minister Ashok Singhal.
This was the first meeting of the Regional Committee (for Udalguri and Sonitpur districts of Assam) and Regional Committee (West Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh), set up by both the state governments to resolve the inter-state boundary dispute based on the Namsai Declaration signed on July 15.
The meeting was held on at the Circuit House in Bhalukpong, Arunachal Pradesh on August 26.
“After joint survey at various boundary dispute sites, conducted first joint meeting of Regional Committees of both Assam and Arunachal on Assam-Arunachal boundary issue. HM @AshokSinghal ji, chairman Regional Committee (Udalguri & Sonitpur) and two HMLAs attended,” Arunachal Pradesh minister Nakap Nalo said in a tweet after the visit.
“During the visit, interacted with the locals of Arunachal and took note of their grievances. The collective leadership of the two states are making untiring efforts to bring an amicable solution to the issues for everlasting peace & harmony,” Singhal tweeted.
Members from the two regional committees visited Kamengbari village along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border and held discussions with the community leaders and local people for an assessment of the boundary.
Later they also visited the Bhalukpong area and took stock of the ground situation before convening for the meeting at Circuit House, Bhalukpong.
The discussions which went on late till Friday evening arrived at certain decisions to resolve the decades-old border issue between the two states amicably. The committees will forward these recommendations to their respective chief ministers before September 15.
Jointly addressing the media after the meeting, Assam minister Ashok Singhal and Arunachal Pradesh minister Nakap Nalo informed that concerning the border at Bhalukpong, based on a joint survey report the Regional Committees of both the states unanimously agreed that the location of the Mithun Gate may be considered as located on the inter-state boundary line of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, and agreed to recommend to the respective state governments for its final settlement and demarcation on the ground.
As regards the inter-state boundary between Udalguri and West Kameng districts, the Regional Committees of both the states agreed that there is no dispute and agreed to the constitutional boundary.
As outlined in the Namsai Declaration made by chief ministers of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, three villages namely Doimara, Khelong and Foot hill are cleared from the purview of boundary dispute as the said villages are located well within the constitutional boundary of Arunachal Pradesh.
Regarding Kamengbari issue, the Regional Committees decided to have a joint survey to be conducted by Sonitpur deputy commissioner and West Kameng deputy commissioner and the joint survey report agreed and signed by both the deputy commissioners shall be placed before the chairmen of the two Regional Committees for review and onward submission to the respective state governments.
MLA, Sootea, Padma Hazarika, MLA, Rangapara, Krishna Kamal Tanti, commissioner and secretary AR&T Santanu P Gotmare, DCs and SPs of Sonitpur and Udalguri, consultant, border areas department, Dasarath Deka, and other senior district administration officials of the two districts attended the meeting.
MLA, Thrizino-Buragaon, Kumsi Sidisow, MLA, Kalaktang, Dorjee Wangdi Kharma, DC, West Kameng, Karma Leki, SP, Bharat B Reddy, and other senior officials of the AP Government were present during the meeting.