Mizoram and Assam Set to Address Colonial-Era Border Dispute

A delegation from Mizoram will meet Assam officials in Guwahati to resolve a longstanding boundary dispute dating back to colonial-era demarcations in 1875 and 1933. The discussions, led by respective secretaries, aim to set groundwork for future ministerial talks addressing overlapping border claims between the two northeastern states.

A seven-member delegation from Mizoram is gearing up to travel to Guwahati on April 24 for a crucial meeting with Assam officials aimed at resolving their protracted boundary dispute, a senior Mizoram official confirmed Wednesday. The talks will be steered by Mizoram's Home Secretary Vanlalmawia, while Assam's contingent is anticipated to be led by a principal secretary or secretary from the Border Protection and Development Department.

The Guwahati meeting, scheduled for April 25, seeks to lay the groundwork and establish the modalities for subsequent ministerial discussions. Crucially, it will address the technical elements surrounding the disputed border, a conversation that was last broached in a ministerial forum in Aizawl on August 9 of the previous year.

Three districts from Mizoram—Aizawl, Kolasib, and Mamit—share a 164.6-km stretch with Assam's Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi districts. The conflict, rooted in colonial demarcations of 1875 under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation and a 1933 map, leaves both states claiming overlapping regions without completed on-ground demarcation.

(With inputs from agencies.)