Newmai News Network
AIZAWL | FEBRUARY 24
The Mizoram government has asked the Centre to review the Mizoram-Assam boundary, Mizoram Home minister Lalchamliana told the state assembly on Monday.
He said that a letter asking revision of the Mizoram-Assam boundary based on the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873 and the Inner Line of the Lushai Hills Notification, 1993 was sent to Union Home secretary on December 15 last year, the Home minister further said.
He then said that the government is making massive efforts to resolve the dispute at Zophai area near Bairabi town along the state border with Assam.
Lalchamliama also said that the core committee constituted by the state government in May 2018 to study the boundary issue has also collected important documents and toposheets related to the Mizoram-Assam border.
On Chief Minister Zoramthanga’s remark that the state government has a "unique and well planned strategy" to resolve the border dispute, Lalchamliana also informed the house that the strategy has not been made public till date.
“It is not convenient to make the strategy known by public. However, the concerned department and officials were instructed on the inter-state border dispute when need arises,” he said.
The border dispute between Mizoram and Assam is a long-pending issue which remains unresolved till date.
The border issue has remained relatively calm despite the dispute nature, except a few instances in 1994, 2007 and 2018 when tensions flared up. But because of timely intervention by the central government, a major crisis was averted.
Several dialogues held since 1995 to resolve the border dispute have yielded little result.
The three Mizoram districts of Kolasib, Aizawl and Mamit share about 123 km long border with south Assam’s Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts.
While Mizoram claimed that a 509 square-mile stretch of the inner-line reserve forest notified in 1875 under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873 belongs to Mizoram, Assam side agreed with the constitutional map and boundary drawn by survey of India in 1993.
