Road construction by the Assam administration in a disputed border area has been halted, stated Mizoram Home Minister K Sapdanga. This follows an inspection revealing that Assam had begun new road construction while clearing several border roads affected by landslides.
Sapdanga explained that the border roads linking police outposts established by Assam were severely impacted by rain-triggered landslides in June. “Upon receiving the report of the new construction, Kolasib’s deputy commissioner immediately contacted his Cachar counterpart to request a halt to the construction. The issue has now been resolved,” Sapdanga informed the press.
The development follows accusations from the Opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) and a local students’ organisation, Mizo Zirlai Pawl, regarding Assam’s road construction activities in the contested Aitlang area near Vairengte town. The MNF’s Serlui North block unit urged the Mizoram Government to address the situation promptly, especially with border talks scheduled for August 9.
Sapdanga stated that the matter required resolution at the district administration level and confirmed that it had been amicably settled. The upcoming border discussions in Aizawl will see Sapdanga leading the Mizoram delegation, while Assam’s Border Protection and Development Minister, Atul Bora, will head the Assam team.
The States of Mizoram and Assam have a long-standing border dispute, with the most recent violent clash occurring in July 2021, resulting in seven deaths, including six Assam policemen, and over 60 injuries. The core of the dispute lies in differing interpretations of colonial-era demarcations made in 1875 and 1933.
Mizoram asserts that the inner line reserved forest demarcation of 1875 under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873 should be the boundary, whereas Assam adheres to the 1933 map prepared by the Survey of India.
