Boundary row: Assam, Nagaland hold talks

Guwahati: Chief Secre-taries of Assam and Nagaland, Jitesh Khosla and Toshi Aier respectively, held a meeting on Tuesday at Assam Secretariat complex here in presence of other senior officials to find a way to defuse the tension and recurrent conflicts along the disputed Assam-Nagaland boundary, an official source said.
This meeting was held in pursuance of the decision taken during the meeting of the Union Home Minister with the Chief Ministers of both the States at New Delhi on October 27 last. M.G.V.K.Bhanu, Principal Secretary, Home & Political Department, Government of Assam briefed the meeting about the prevailing law and order situation subsequent to the incident of November 13 that took place in Uriam Ghat area in Golaghat District along the inter-state boundary.
In this incident, one person was killed and three others injured by miscreants / suspected militants from Nagaland side while they were harvesting paddy crops in the area. The incident had also resulted in nearly 200 persons seeking shelter in relief camps at Uriam Ghat.
G.D.Tripathi, Commis-sioner & Secretary, Revenue Department, Government of Assam, briefed the meeting
about the identification of the border between the two States in light of the recent ruling of the Supreme Court in the matter.
After discussion, both sides agreed to make all efforts for creation of conducive atmosphere for
restoration of peace among the people from both the sides of the inter-state boundary and for the safe
, early return of the displaced people to their respective villages. The Government of Nagaland was also requested for assistance to apprehend the culprits alleged to be responsible for the incident.
During the meeting, it was also decided by both the state administrations to defuse the current tense situation in the area and cooperate in curbing activities of militants / miscreants.
It was reiterated that such mischievous elements should not be allowed to create misunderstanding amongst the people living in border areas. It was also agreed to intensify point-to-point contact of Border Magistrates, share informa-tion and strengthen the deployment of central forces.
Meanwhile, in a fresh incident Naga miscreants burnt down a portion of tea estate and green tea leaves
store house at Geleky area in Sivasagar district close to Assam-Nagaland boundary.