Itanagar: A historic agreement to settle the long-pending border dispute between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh was signed on Tuesday in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Minister of Cooperation Narendra Singh Tomar, as part of the Modi government’s efforts to establish complete peace in the Northeast.
The agreement was signed by the Chief Ministers of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, Himanta Biswa Sarma and Pema Khandu, respectively. Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, and senior officials from the Center and both the States were also present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Shah said that the 700-kilometer long border dispute between the two states, pending for decades, has now been completely resolved. He added that the report of the Local Commission on this dispute had been circling around for decades, which has now been accepted by both the states.
Shah further added that the agreement will prove to be a milestone in the direction of realizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of a developed, peaceful, and conflict-free Northeast. He also highlighted the various accords that have been signed since 2018 to establish peace and end violence in the Northeast, as a result of which more than 8,000 armed youth have shunned violence and joined the mainstream.
The Union home minister also noted that there has been a significant reduction in incidents of violence, deaths of security forces, and civilian deaths in the North East. He credited the Modi government’s efforts for all-round development in the region, with Prime Minister Modi having visited the region more than 50 times and always promoting its language, culture, literature, costumes, and food.
Shah appreciated the efforts of the chief ministers of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in resolving the long-pending border dispute. Under the agreement, both the state governments have agreed that this agreement will be final with regards to these 123 disputed villages and neither of the States will make any new claim related to any area or village in future.
“The Government of India has always been acting as a facilitator for amicable settlement of inter-state border disputes with the active cooperation of the concerned state governments. With the efforts of the Modi government, today’s important agreement between Assam and Arunachal is a successful example of cooperative federalism and will provide a roadmap for resolving border disputes between other states,” Shah added. PIB
Also read: Permanent solution to Assam-Arunachal border dispute soon: CM Khandu
