GUWAHATI: Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), the apex students’ body of Mizoram, has decided to adopt a wait-and-watch policy on the border impasse with Assam.
The students’ association has for now put its plan of staging a state-wide agitation on hold in the wake of the state government’s assurance to ask the Assam government to demolish all “illegal structures” at Zophai (Kolasib district) along the inter-state border.
The state government has also directed the deputy commissioner of Kolasib district to hold talks with the deputy commissioner of Hailakandi district (Assam) in this regard.
Three districts of Kolasib, Aizawl and Mamit in Mizoram share a 64.6 km long border with Assam’s Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts.
“We have decided to wait and watch what turns up after this. As of now, we have put the agitation plan on hold as the state government has taken initiatives to resolve the border impasse with Assam,” MZP spokesperson, Ricky Colney told The Shillong Times from Aizawl on Monday.
Last week, a meeting of the state government’s core committee had observed that “illegal structures”, including a mosque, shops and a building, were constructed by Assam at Zophai despite the Centre’s directive to maintain status quo.
“The core committee meeting has agreed to ask the Assam government to demolish the alleged illegal structures at Zophai and we are looking forward to see this happening,” Colney said.
The MZP had last month threatened to stage a state-wide agitation on the issue if the state government failed to respond to their demand within the first week of August.
The students’ organisation had on July 19 staged a protest rally in the “absence of follow-up action” even after it set a deadline to evict staff of the Assam forest department from a disputed land near Vairengte along the inter-state border.
