Aizawl, Jan 13: The Central government has waived ₹5.23 crore in depreciated costs that the Mizoram government owed for buildings and infrastructure vacated by the Assam Rifles in Aizawl, Chief Minister Lalduhoma announced.

Lalduhoma said he had written to Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nitiyanand Rai in May 2025, requesting the waiver. In response, the minister informed him that the Mizoram government would not be required to pay the depreciated cost. “It is a matter of happiness that our request has been accepted,” Lalduhoma posted on Facebook late Monday.

Under a Memorandum of Agreement for relocating Assam Rifles bases from Aizawl, the state was obligated to pay the depreciated value—accounting for wear and tear—of the vacated structures.

The phase-wise relocation began in April 2025 due to Aizawl’s challenging topography and congestion. Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended a ceremony in March 2025 marking the shift to a new camp at Zokhawsang, 15 km east of the capital.

The Assam Rifles previously occupied bases at Zodin Square (Lammual) and Khatla, along with a DIG residence in Tuikhuahtlang, a commandant bungalow, a church at Tuikual near Zodin, plots of land, and a war memorial. The force has retained its 23 Sector Headquarters, Mizoram range in Khatla, and the DIG residence.