Assam Assembly: Parties across benches want boundary settlement

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Assam Assembly has come to a consensus that Assam needs to resolve all boundary disputes with its neighbouring states. However, Congress has said that the state should not cede even an inch of its land in the name solution. Border Protection and Development Minister Atul Bora favoured once-for-all settlements of its boundary disputes with all the neighbouring states.

The House discussed boundary issues with the neighbouring states today. Congress legislator Nandita Das said, "I welcome the move on border disputes taken by the Chief Minister. However, Assam cannot cede even an inch of the state land to any of the neighbouring states in the name of dispute resolution. The Lumpi area under the Boko LAC entirely belongs to Assam. Various government documents prove it beyond doubt. What baffles us is: why does the government term Lumpi a disputed area? The people of Lumpi are reluctant to side with Meghalaya. Development works in the Lumpi area have come to a halt in Assam. Meghalaya, on the other hand, carries out development activities in the area. The Chief Minister should visit Lumpi and interact with the local populace there. We cannot afford to cede Lumpi to Meghalaya."

Water Resources Minister Pijush Hazarika said, "We have border issues with almost every neighbouring state. The Centre feels that Assam has land disputes with every neighbouring state. The fact remains that when states like Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh got separated from Assam, boundaries remained undemarcated in many stretches. People within the boundaries live a difficult life. When we carry out developmental work, the neighbouring states obstruct us, and we obstruct them when they carry out such work. The Congress governments did not solve the disputes over the years. However, this government seeks a solution. How long will we clash on border issues with the neighbouring states? The Ashtolakshmi of the Northeast needs to stay united."

On Lumpi, Hazarika said, "If the people of Lumpi say that they want to stay with Assam, no force can take them away. If 90 per cent of the people want to be part of Meghalaya, how can we keep them in Assam?"

Congress MLA Bharat Chandra Narah also welcomed the Chief Minister's move on the boundary issues with the neighbouring state. He also said that Assam should not surrender to any of the neighbouring states in the name of the settlement of border issues.

Minister PHE Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah said, "I'm the chairman of a regional committee in the Arunachal sector of our boundary. I visited several border villages in the Lakhimpur district. Everything depends on the wishes of the fringe residents. I saw Adi and Garo people along the border want to side with Arunachal Pradesh. On the other hand, Misings, Ahoms and Koch-Rajbongshis want to side with Assam. We have already proposed a boundary during the joint visits. We cannot decide boundaries in reserve forest areas. The Centre will have to decide such issues."

Minister Atul Bora said, "Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wants to settle all boundary issues with the neighbouring states. Land disputes with the neighbouring states have hindered the development of border areas in the state. When all such states emerged from Assam, the then Assam governments should have taken short-term and long-term measures for border area development. They, however, fell short of taking any such measures. The present government under the Chief Minister has taken a risk by taking moves to settle boundary disputes. Normally governments do not take such risks. We will take decisions as per provisions of the constitution."

Bora said, "Assam will continue to lose lands so long border issues with neighbouring states will remain unresolved. We may say we won't cede even an inch of land, but keeping land intact along the boundary is not an easy task. So, we want a once-for-all settlement through discussion. The opposition parties can submit their suggestions to the government in writing."

Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia, Congress MLA Kamalakshya Dey Purkayastha, Congress MLA Rakibul Hussain, AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam, BJP MLA Amiya Kumar Bhuyan and AGP MLA Remendra Narayan Kalita also spoke on the issue. They all wanted solutions to the border problems.

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