Assam-Arunachal border dispute likely to be resolved by next year : Home Minister

CategoryPolity

Last Updated23/05/2022

Union home minister Amit Shah assured that the inter-state boundary dispute between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh will be resolved soon
Both states had decided to settle their border dispute out of court through talks last year on insistence from center

Assam shares an 804 km-long boundary with Arunachal Pradesh.
Pre- independence: The border dispute between the two states has its genesis in 1873 when the British started the inner-line regulation creating an imaginary boundary between the plains and hills areas north of Assam.
The inner-line regulation, which still exists, requires people from outside Arunachal Pradesh to take permits before entering the state.
Post- independence: This area ‘separated’ from Assam was initially called North East Frontier Tracts and later North East Frontier Agency (NEFA).
It was under the administrative jurisdiction of Assam post-Independence.
In 1972, NEFA was renamed as Arunachal Pradesh and granted status of union territory and it became a full-fledged state in 1987.
Unilateral transfer of land: But before it got its present boundaries, a committee headed by former Assam chief minister transferred around 3650 sq km of territory, which was earlier with NEFA, to Assam.
This transfer done without consultations with the people or administration of NEFA is the prime bone of contention between both states as Arunachal Pradesh doesn’t recognise it.

Last month, chief ministers of Assam and Meghalaya inked a deal in New Delhi in the presence of union home minister to resolve 6 of the 12 points of dispute along their border.

Prelims Takeaway

Mains Track Q Explain the border dispute between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh and recent steps taken to resolve it.