Panel meets to formulate strategies to solve Assam-Arunachal border dispute

The newly inducted members of the Regional Border Dispute Committee for Papum Pare district in Arunachal Pradesh met on Friday to formulate strategies to solve the border issues with neighbouring Assam amicably.
    
Deliberations were also held on evaluating the groundwork done by the previous panel on the matter and assessing the prevailing conditions.
    
“Accurate and up-to-date information is vital for taking informed decisions... By assessing the ground realities, we can develop targeted solutions that address area-specific causes of border issues,” said Nabam Vivek, an MLA and a member of the panel.
    
The two northeastern neighbours share an 804 km long boundary. The chief ministers of the two states signed the Namsai Declaration in July 2022, to resolve the decades-old boundary dispute.

Also Read: Arunachal re-constitutes 6 panels to examine status of border dispute with Assam

Another member of the panel, Rajya Sabha MP Nabam Rebia, called for prior consultation with local authorities, community leaders and affected people before making any decision on the boundary issue to work out an amicable solution.

Earlier, the Arunachal Pradesh government reconstituted six regional committees to review and address the ongoing border dispute with Assam. The decision, aimed at resolving long-standing issues, was formalised in a notification issued by the Home and Inter-State Border Affairs Department on Thursday (July 11).

The notification stated that the Terms of Reference (ToR) for these regional committees will remain consistent with those outlined in the original notification from June 1, 2022. 

This continuity ensures that the committees’ work will adhere to established guidelines and objectives as they seek to find a lasting solution to the border conflict.

The reconstitution affects six districts in Arunachal Pradesh where the border dispute with Assam remains unresolved due to disagreements on the demarcation of villages along the inter-state boundary. The affected districts are Pakke Kessang, Papum Pare, Kamle, Lower Siang, Lower Dibang Valley, and Longding.