Arunachal Pradesh’s Land Management Minister, Balo Raja, has urged for collaborative efforts to resolve the long-standing boundary dispute with neighboring Assam. At a meeting of the regional border committee of Papum Pare district, Raja emphasized the need for a concrete roadmap to settle the issue with Assam’s neighboring districts.

The dispute, which dates back to the 1970s, centers on Arunachal Pradesh’s claim that several forested tracts in the plains were unilaterally transferred to Assam. A tripartite committee recommended transferring certain territories from Assam to Arunachal Pradesh, but Assam contested this, and the matter remains in the Supreme Court.

Raja stressed the importance of sharing information and intelligence among stakeholders, while Doimukh MLA Nabam Vivek emphasized the need for teamwork to deal with boundary issues. Papum Pare’s Deputy Commissioner Jiken Bomjen advocated for maintaining the status-quo at the border and following the MoU signed during the Namsai Declaration.

The Namsai Declaration, signed by the CMs of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam on July 15, 2022, aims to restrict the number of disputed villages to 86. The two states share an 804.1 km long border, and a resolution to the dispute would be a significant step towards peace and cooperation in the region.

In a related development, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that a historic agreement had been signed to settle the long-pending border dispute between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The agreement, signed in April 2023, marks a significant milestone in resolving the dispute and promoting peace and development in the Northeast.