Guwahati, Oct 10: Assam and Arunachal Pradesh on Monday had a ministerial-level meeting here on the inter-state border issue to follow up and prepare a final report on the joint visits by the regional committees to four villages falling under forest areas in Biswanath district (Assam) and Pakke Kessang district (Arunachal Pradesh).
Addressing media persons after the meeting, Assam minister Pijush Hazarika said the interactions during the joint visits made last month revealed that residents of three border villages – Dikalmukh, Dipik and Baliso – belong to Arunachal Pradesh and hence aspire to be with Arunachal Pradesh while a section of residents of Paso village, mainly from the Karbi community, want to be with Assam.
“Since all the four villages are located in forest areas, we have decided to submit our report/recommendations to the central government through the chief ministers of the two states,” Hazarika, who heads one of the 12 regional committees of Assam, said.
The minister said an amicable solution to the border disputes was the only way out for both the states as the border residents of the two states have to co-exist in a peaceful manner.
Along with Hazarika, the meeting here, the third since the deliberations between the regional panels started on August 22, was attended by Arunachal Pradesh minister Mama Natung, who heads one of the regional committees of the neighbouring state, Arunachal Pradesh MLA Biyuram Wahge besides senior officials of both the states.
The visits to the “points of differences” along the inter-state border had begun seven weeks after the Namsai Declaration was signed by the chief ministers of the two states.
It may be recalled that Assam and Arunachal Pradesh held the third round of chief minister-level inter-state boundary talks at Namsai on July 15 and mutually agreed in principle to solve border issues in 123 “disputed” villages, with issues in 37 of them more or less resolved already.
Under the Namsai Declaration, both the states have agreed to constitute 12 regional committees, each covering the 12 districts of Arunachal Pradesh and the counterpart districts of Assam for joint verification of 123 villages.