States » EastPosted at: Oct 13 2026 10:27PM


Assam, Arunachal regional panels set Dec deadline to resolve boundary disputes

Itanagar, Oct 13 (UNI) The Regional Committees of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam have agreed to expedite the resolution of outstanding inter-state boundary disputes involving Papum Pare district of Arunachal Pradesh and Biswanath and Lakhimpur districts of Assam, with the next meeting scheduled by the end of December 2026.
The decision was taken at the second meeting of the Regional Committees, held at the Biswanath Circuit House on Tuesday, where both sides reviewed the progress made since their first meeting on January 9, 2023, and discussed measures to settle the remaining differences.
The Arunachal Pradesh delegation was led by Urban Affairs, Land Management and Civil Aviation Minister Balo Raja, chairman of the state's Regional Committee. It included Doimukh MLA Nabam Vivek, Secretary (Border Affairs), Papum Pare Deputy Commissioner Mamu Hage, Superintendent of Police Taru Gusar and other senior officials.
The Assam delegation was led by Revenue Minister Keshab Mahanta, chairman of the Regional Committee for Biswanath and Lakhimpur. It included Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, MP Ranjit Dutta, MLAs Utpal Borah, Pallab Lochan Das, Munindra Das, Bhupen Kumar Borah and Rishiraj Hazarika, besides Additional Chief Secretary LS Changsan, the Deputy Commissioners of Biswanath and Lakhimpur, Divisional Forest Officers and other officials.
During the meeting, the Deputy Commissioners of Papum Pare and Biswanath made detailed presentations on behalf of their respective states, outlining the background of the disputes, the sequence of developments and measures taken so far to resolve them.
Both sides reviewed the visits undertaken by their respective Regional Committees, joint inspections conducted by district administrations and subsequent discussions following the first meeting. Based on ground-level assessments of the disputed areas and villages, the two sides placed their suggestions before the committees.
The committees were constituted in accordance with the Namsai Declaration, signed by the Chief Ministers of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh on July 15, 2022, to resolve disputes relating to 86 villages along the inter-state boundary.
At the January 2023 meeting, both sides had agreed to identify uninhabited land for exchange in lieu of inhabited villages located beyond three km from the High-Powered Tripartite Committee boundary line on either side.
The exercise was to be completed through continuous dialogue within six months but could not be concluded within the stipulated period due to various factors, including general elections and Panchayat and local body elections in both states.
During Tuesday's deliberations, the villages under consideration were classified into three categories: nine villages under Category I, where there is no dispute; 22 villages under Category II, where minor disputes remain; and two villages under Category III, where consensus is yet to be reached.
Following the discussions, the chairpersons of both Regional Committees emphasised strict adherence to the status quo as of the cut-off date decided at the first meeting. They also agreed that no further encroachment or felling of trees would be permitted on either side.
The committees called for the withdrawal of FIRs registered against officials from both states through due process and immediate installation of boundary pillars in Category I villages.
Minor disputes in Category II villages are to be resolved at the district administration level, wherever possible, after which the same measures prescribed for Category I villages will be undertaken.
For Category III villages, the committees agreed to prepare a feasible roadmap involving local MLAs from both states, district administrations and residents of the affected areas to resolve the outstanding differences.
The district administrations were also directed to take necessary steps to refer the matter to the Survey of India for proper demarcation of settled areas at the earliest, and within two months.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to continued dialogue, cooperation and timely implementation of the agreed measures in the larger interests of people living along the inter-state boundary.
The next Regional Committee meeting will be convened by the end of December to take forward the resolution process in keeping with the commitments under the Namsai Declaration.
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Tags: #Assam# Arunachal regional panels set Dec deadline to resolve boundary disputes
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