Assam, Arunachal to form joint panel with locals on Roing-Tinsukia border

Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have agreed to set up a joint committee, including residents of the affected villages, to look into boundary disputes along the stretch shared by Arunachal's Lower Dibang Valley district and Assam's Tinsukia district.

The decision came out of a regional committee meeting between the two states held at the Deputy Commissioner's conference hall in Roing, according to Pratidin Time and Northeast Today.

Who attended

The meeting was co-chaired by Arunachal Pradesh Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Ojing Tasing and Assam Agriculture Minister Atul Bora, who heads Assam's Tinsukia regional committee on the boundary.

Arunachal MLAs Mutchu Mithi and Puinnyo Apum, Sadiya MLA Bolin Chetia, the Deputy Commissioners of Lower Dibang Valley and Tinsukia, forest officials of both states, administrative officers and members of the two regional committees also took part. The reports said the meeting was held under the guidance of the two Chief Ministers.

Joint committee and field study

The key outcome was an agreement to form a joint committee made up of residents of the border areas, officials and elected representatives from both sides. It is expected to hold consultations with stakeholders and help identify the specific points of disagreement.

Representatives at the meeting also stressed that no final decision should be taken on any disputed area until a proper field-level study has been carried out. Both sides agreed that the situation on the ground has to be examined first, and that the field assessment should feed into the joint committee's work, Pratidin Time reported.

'Bridges of friendship'

Tasing said the talks showed a shared resolve to settle long-standing differences through dialogue and consensus while protecting the rights of communities on both sides of the line.

He said the two states share history, cultural ties and mutual respect, and that both governments have a collective responsibility to strengthen those ties while seeking a fair and mutually acceptable settlement. He said he hoped the shared border would serve as a bridge of friendship rather than a line of division, Northeast Today reported.

Background

Assam and Arunachal Pradesh share a boundary of more than 800 km, and disputes over villages along it have simmered for decades, at times leading to clashes and complaints of encroachment on forest and farm land. In recent years the two governments have moved to settle the issue through regional committees for individual border sectors, each led by ministers and including local legislators and district officials.

The Roing meeting focused on the Lower Dibang Valley-Tinsukia sector, where villages in the Sadiya area of Assam border Arunachal's Roing region. No timeline was announced for forming the joint committee or completing the field study.