Ending their over 50-year-old border dispute, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday signed an agreement in presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah here which will bring settlement to 123 villages located along areas the two northeastern states share.

Assam and Arunachal Pradesh share an 804.1-km-long border which has been in dispute since the latter was made a union territory in 1972.

Shah said the dispute over 123 villages on both sides of the inter-state border has been resolved once and for all at a time when the country is celebrating its 75th year of Independence.

He said it was a historic event for both Assam and Arunachal Pradesh resolving their long boundary dispute amicably.

Shah exuded optimism that the boundary settlement would usher in all-round development and peace in the Northeast as the agreement ended the border dispute which has been lingering since 1972.

“It is a big moment for the entire northeastern region which has been witnessing all round development ever since the Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014,” he said.

Assam chief minister Sarma termed the signing of the MoU as historic and said the deal would be a harbinger of peace and prosperity.

He said after 51 years, one of India’s longest running inter-state disputes comes to a decisive end and this breakthrough has been possible due to the prime minister’s blessings, guidance of the union home minister and unstinted support from Arunachal Pradesh chief minister.

“Today’s agreement with Arunachal Pradesh is in line with similar efforts made with Meghalaya in last two years. This will boost the spirit of bonhomie in the Northeast and strengthen our federal structure as it brings a new paradigm to resolve differences between states,” he said.

History has been made!

The Govts. of Arunachal Pradesh & Assam signed MoU to settle the inter-state border dispute between the two states in the presence of HM Sh. @AmitShah Ji in New Delhi.#ModiHaiTohMumkinHai pic.twitter.com/5joe8ud8BS

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) April 20, 2023

Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Khandu termed the settlement of boundary dispute as “momentous and historic” and exuded confidence that it would bring about a sea change on the peace and development of both the states.

He said the agreement has been possible due to the initiative and political will of the prime minister and the union home minister and active cooperation of the Assam government led by Sarma.

Out of the 123 villages claimed by Arunachal Pradesh before the Local Commission in 2007, 71 have been amicable resolved so far.

This includes 27 villages resolved through the Namsai Declaration on July 15, 2022 and 34 villages through this MoU.

Out of the 71 villages, one village will be included in Assam from Arunachal Pradesh, 10 villages will continue in Assam and 60 villages will be included in Arunachal Pradesh from Assam.

Out of the remaining 52 villages, the village boundary of 49 villages is to be finalised by the regional committees in next six months while three villages situation inside the IAF bombing range will require rehabilitation.

Officials said the agreement will end the dispute relating to 123 villages along the border keeping in view the historical perspective, demographic profile, administrative convenience, proximity to the border and the aspirations of the residents.

Under the pact, both the state governments have agreed that it 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.

After the agreement, a detailed survey will be carried out by the Survey of India in the presence of representatives of both the state governments to determine the boundaries of both the states, officials said.

Sarma said as a goodwill gesture, the Arunachal Pradesh government will hand over a large tract of land under in possession in Assam’s Jorhat to the Assam government.

Arunachal Pradesh, which was made a union territory in 1972, has been maintaining that several forested tracts in the plains traditionally belonged to hill tribal chiefs and communities and these were “unilaterally” transferred to Assam earlier.

After Arunachal Pradesh achieved statehood in 1987, a tripartite committee was appointed, which recommended that certain territories be transferred from Assam to Arunachal Pradesh.

Assam contested this and the matter was in the Supreme Court for a long time.

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