Arunachal: Banderdewa Circle Border Committee to stage protest over interstate boundary issue

The Banderdewa Circle Border Committee (BCBC) on January 24 will stage a protest rally against the Papum Pare district administration alleging that the regional committee meeting of the Papum Pare-Lakhimpur-Biswanath districts of Assam-Arunachal boundary demarcation has failed to abide by the Namsai Declaration.  

Addressing a press conference here on January 23, the Committee chairman Tame Achung announced the same and said that in the Regional committee meeting, it was decided to realign the border of the six Arunachali villages under Banderdewa circle which the Assam counterpart claimed to be within the Narayanpur area of Bihpuria revenue circle.

The border committee has demanded the exclusion of Tani Hapa, Banderdewa, and Pichola villages from the joint verification and to only conduct verification of Durpang, Tarajuli, and Gorubanda villages if the survey is done according to the 1951 survey of India. 

“Only then will we cooperate with the verification teams,” the BCBC chairman said. 

The committee further said that whatever was decided in the Namsai Declaration should be kept untouched. 

“Namsai Declaration Para 4 clearly mentions that 28 villages within the constitutional boundary of Arunachal Pradesh along the Assam boundary remain with us. Why the need to realign the boundary now,” the chairman asked.

Tame further claimed that there were no representatives from the circle or even the Panchayat Raj institutions during the January 9 meeting held between both the regional committees of Assam and Arunachal. 

Following this, the BCBC chairman expressed doubt over the integrity of the Regional Committee of Papum Pare.

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