ITANAGAR, 25 Aug: The All Arunachal Pradesh Border Students Union (AAPBSU) has written to Chief Minister Pema Khandu seeking action on the state’s boundary issue with Assam.
Saying that it does not accept the 23 February 1951 notification, popularly called the Bordoloi Committee Report, the union said that the report “was arbitrary, ex-parte and unilateral, as the opinion of the stakeholder of tribes of the then excluded area of NEFT was never taken into account or sought any of its opinion on any of the matter whatsoever.”
The union sought clearly defined, delineated and demarcated boundary in all areas between the states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in accordance with the ground realities, such as actual occupation, administration and historical facts, which it said that “the Bordoloi Committee report had categorically ignored.”
In order to tackle the long-pending boundary issue, the union demanded “immediate return of the entire border area forest land reserves measuring around 805 km length falling under Arunachal-Assam boundary, which was earlier under the supervision of Public Works Department, to the Forest Department of Arunachal Pradesh -Assam for proper functioning.”
Citing security reasons, the union also demanded immediate issuance of land possession certificate and gun license to all the foothill inhabitants of boundary areas of Arunachal Pradesh, besides deployment of police forces and immediate creation of police outposts in every district border areas.
Creation of a border task force along boundary areas of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam and a full-fledged directorate of border affairs department with a permanent office building were also crucial demands of the union.
It also sought immediate appointment of an APST penal advocate in the Supreme Court, especially to assist in interstate boundary dispute; to implement special financial package every year for the miscellaneous expenses of border affairs department for its smooth functioning and to upgrade the financial package from rupees one core to two crores under the Border Area Development Program.
Seeking action within 30 days, the AAPBSU said that it would go ahead with a democratic movement if its demands are not fulfilled.
