Guwahati, Nov 2: Assam and Arunachal Pradesh on Monday decided to form a joint committee to assess disputed boundary areas on the ground, renewing efforts to resolve their decades-old territorial differences through dialogue and local participation. The decision was taken at a meeting at the District Commissioner’s Office in Roing, in Arunachal Pradesh’s Dibang Valley district, attended by Assam Border Protection and Development Minister Atul Bora and Arunachal Pradesh Minister Ojing Tasing, who chairs the regional committee.
Bora said officials from both states will engage with local stakeholders in the disputed areas to understand their concerns before further discussions. “We have decided that officials from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh will meet local stakeholders on the ground and take steps to understand the issues for further discussion. After that, discussions and meetings of the regional committee members will be held,” he said. The joint committee will conduct field visits to assess conditions in the disputed areas.
Both states agreed that no final decision will be taken without a proper assessment of the ground situation. The views of local residents and the committee’s findings will be considered before any resolution is reached. “Instead of taking executive decisions, we are making attempts to understand and resolve the issue at the grassroots level. We will have to prioritise the opinion of border residents,” Bora said.
Tasing said the dispute has remained unresolved for a long time and expressed hope that the latest initiative would produce a positive outcome. “Today’s meeting concluded with a decision that both Assam and Arunachal Pradesh wish to resolve the boundary dispute amicably with local participation. We will form a joint committee comprising MLAs, officials and local stakeholders, who will visit the disputed areas and prepare a fact-finding report to take the matter forward,” he said.
Bora said earlier efforts under the Namsai Declaration helped resolve seven of the eight disputed areas along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh boundary in Tinsukia district, with one area still unresolved. The Namsai Declaration, signed by the chief ministers of both states in July 2022, reduced the number of disputed villages from 123 to 86. It also led to the formation of regional committees tasked with facilitating a resolution through local consultations.
The latest meeting is part of continuing efforts by the two state governments to settle their long-standing boundary differences through dialogue, mutual understanding and cooperation. Earlier in October, during a separate round of regional committee discussions, the two states set a two-month target to resolve outstanding boundary issues involving Papum Pare in Arunachal Pradesh and Biswanath and Lakhimpur in Assam. Alternative land arrangements were also discussed in cases where disputes involving settlements and privately owned land were difficult to resolve.
Original Source: https://assamtribune.com/north-east/assam-arunachal-boundary-row-joint-panel-to-let-ground-realities-guide-next-steps-1621869
Category: North East,Featured
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Publish Date: 2026-11-02 17:53:00
