Regional committees inspect boundary areas

TARASO, 1 Sep: The regional committees of Biswanath district (Assam) and Papum Pare district (Arunachal Pradesh) on Thursday inspected the disputed boundary areas here in Papum Pare district.

Ten villages, including Radaso, Meteka, Upper Taraso, Lower Taraso, Ania Hapa, Bormai, Dariabil, Kuchubari, Dolung Ramgat and Townbill, which share a boundary with Biswanath district of Assam, were inspected.

The Arunachal committee comprised Education Minister Taba Tedir, Doimukh MLA Tana Hali Tara, DC Sachin Rana and SP Neelam Nega, and the Assam committee comprised Health Minister Keshab Mahanta, Behali MLA Ranjit Dutta, Biswanath MLA Promot Borthakur, Biswanath DC Munindra Nath Anghte and SP Nevin Singh.

The committees discussed the issues pertaining to the interstate boundary at the government secondary school here.

“The Assam and Arunachal Pradesh boundary is an old and long-pending issue that needs to be resolved,” said Tedir.

“Since Chief Minister Pema Khandu and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma adopted the Namsai Declaration to resolve the issue, it will be solved at the earliest,” he added.

As there are two to three villages that need proper verification before the compilation of the final report which will be submitted to the two state governments, the ministers directed the Behali MLA and the Doimukh MLA to re-verify the areas on 4 September along with the DCs and the DFOs, and to submit the report to the committees before 15 September.

“We are confident that the areas where the issue could not be resolved will be taken up by the assigned officers judiciously,” said Mahanta.

Considering the seriousness of the issue, the ministers and the MLAs expressed their willingness to resolve the matter amicably in the greater interest of the local people of both sides.

The regional committees will carry out spot verification in Passo, Dipik, Dikalmukh and Baliso areas in Pakke-Kessang district (which shares a boundary with Biswanath district) on 2 October.