Pema Khandu assures resolving people’s grievances before finalizing inter-state boundary

OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Tuesday informed the assembly that the State government will take the people into confidence before arriving at a final conclusion to the decades-old inter-state boundary dispute with Assam.

Responding to a zero hour discussion brought in the house by senior Congress member Ninong Ering, Khandu informed that the 12 regional committees constituted by the State government to study various disputed areas with Assam, have already submitted their final reports to the government and he would lead a delegation soon to discuss with his Assam counterpart.

“Before arriving at a final conclusion, I will sit again with our committees to have a clear picture of the boundary areas and if there are any public grievances, it will be placed with Assam,” Khandu said and added that he would meet the Assam Chief Minister with clarity on the issue.

Earlier, Ering initiating the discussion highlighted the effects of demarcation of the inter-state boundary on Daying Ering Wildlife Sanctuary (DEWS), in East Siang district of the state, which was named after his father.

The Congress lawmaker informed the house that the sanctuary which touches the Dibru Saikhowa wildlife sanctuary in Assam, is an elephant corridor and its office falls in Assam territory.

“Forest department officials of the neighbouring state have informed that earlier a top leader from the state had sold the land to Assam,” he said without naming the leader.

Ering added that after demarcations of the inter-state boundary, around 5000 hectares of land were lost by the sanctuary which is a matter of grave concern.

He urged the State government to discuss the issue with Assam and to come to a conclusion that the boundary of the sanctuary should not be a part of either of the state and should be kept under forest department.

Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have constituted 12 regional committees each, to expedite the process of identification and early resolution of disputed areas along their 804.10 km boundary.

The two states had disputes in 123 villages along the border but the number was restricted to 86 in the Namsai Declaration, signed by Khandu and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at Namsai on July 22 last year.

The two states share an 804.1 km-long border. The grievance of Arunachal Pradesh which was made a union territory in 1972 is that several forested tracts in the plains that had traditionally belonged to hill tribal chiefs and communities were unilaterally transferred to Assam.

After Arunachal Pradesh achieved statehood in 1987, a tripartite committee was appointed which recommended that certain territories be transferred from Assam to Arunachal. Assam contested this and the matter is in the Supreme Court.

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