NEW DELHI: Assam and Arunachal Pradesh signed an agreement in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, heralding an end to their border dispute spanning over 50 years.
The important document was signed on April 20 by Chief Minister of Assam HimantaBiswa Sarma and his Arunachal Pradesh counterpart Pema Khandu.
The agreement between the two states will end the dispute relating to 123 villages along the border in keeping with the history, demographic profile, administrative convenience, proximity to the border and the aspirations of the residents.
Speaking on the occasion, the Home Minister said that the signing of an agreement for the settlement of an inter-state boundary dispute between the two states is a very big achievement. “It is a big moment for the entire northeastern region which has been witnessing all round development ever since the Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014,” he said.
Shah said that since 2018, the Central Government has signed several accords including with Bru tribals, insurgent groups NLFT and some belonging to Assam’s Karbi Anglong and established peace and ended violence in the Northeast.
The Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister said the agreement will pave the way to peaceful co-existence between the two states, while his Assam counterpart termed the signing of the MoU as historic and said the deal would be a harbinger of peace and prosperity.
Assam and Arunachal Pradesh share an 804.1-km-long border which has been in dispute since the latter was made a union territory in 1972. It was upgraded to state in 1987.
