Guwahati, Jan 25: Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have decided to conduct ground-level surveys on the inter-state boundary status and take the border row resolution process forward in the coming days.
In this regard, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu had an interaction here on Monday evening.
Sarma, who did not hold a post-meeting media conference, later informed through his Twitter handle that measures for a permanent solution to the long-pending issue between the two states would be taken and that both states would conduct ground level surveys on the boundary status.
“Solving boundary issues with neighbours is our priority,” Sarma, who is also the convenor of the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), said.
Assam and Arunachal Pradesh share a 804.1 km-long boundary with as many as 1,200 points of disputes along it.
Addressing mediapersons on Tuesday, Sarma said, “We have started formal talks on the border issues with Arunachal Pradesh. Our efforts are on to gradually solve all border disputes in the Northeast and keep the emotional bonding between the states of the region intact.”
He further said that the border residents would have to be consulted during the resolution process which would take some time.
Sarma had recently informed that regional committees, akin to the panels constituted to submit findings after visiting the Assam-Meghalaya border areas, would be set up for addressing the pending boundary issues with Arunachal Pradesh.
In regard to the status of the border dialogue with Meghalaya, the chief minister said that the Centre would now take a decision in regard to six of the 12 areas of differences.
Both Sarma, and Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma had submitted the reports of the respective regional committees to Union home minister Amit Shah in New Delhi last Thursday.
Last Sunday, Sarma had held talks with Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio here on Sunday. Rio later told reporters that the two states were ready for an out-of-court settlement of the long pending inter-state boundary dispute.