Aizawl: Expressing deep resentment over the ‘imposed boundary’ under the North Eastern Areas Reorganisation (NEAR) Act 1971, the Mizoram People’s Conference (MPC) today resolved to renew efforts to claim the original boundary between Mizoram and Assam.
”The MPC is deeply pained to see that its repeated pleas to the Central government to get back the original boundary as defined under the North East Bengal Frontier (Innerline Regulation) Act of 1875 have fallen on a deaf ear,” the MPC said in a statement.
The existing boundary, which is an ‘imposed boundary’, was drawn under section 6 of the NEAR Act 1971 at the sole discretion of the Assam government, the MPC said.
”This is an imposed boundary and all the political parties and NGOs in Mizoram cannot accept. It is a matter of utmost urgency that we get back the original boundary,” the MPC statement added.
According to records, the original boundary defined and gazetted under the NEBF (Innerline Regulation) Act 1875 was marked 46 pillars. The MPC expressed fears if an initiative was not taken soon by concerned authorities to settle the boundary dispute once and for all, the matter would lead us into greater crisis.
Both the Centre and the Assam government must realise that the Mizoram inner line reserve forest, measuring 509 Sq Kilometres, put under the administration of the Cachar district forest (Assam), as gazetted by the Assam government on October 17, 1878 under the India Forest Act 1865, hurt the sentiments of the Mizos, the MPC statement said.
”The government of the day should take immediate steps to solve the boundary issue to end the sufferings of the Mizos and prevent deeper crisis,”PL1634” the MPC statement said. (UNI)
