ASSAM ARUNACHAL BORDER DISPUTE
1. Context
Last month, just days after Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma met with his Arunachal Pradesh counterpart, Pema Khandu, to discuss a solution to the decades-old boundary dispute between the two states, fresh tensions were reported along the border. While the flashpoint this time was the ongoing construction of the Likabali-Durpai road being built under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), the boundary dispute between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh dates back to colonial times.
2. Bone of Contention:1951
- Before Arunachal Pradesh was carved out of Assam, a sub-committee headed by then Assam chief minister Gopinath Bordoloi submitted a report in 1951. The report made some recommendations in relation to the administration of NEFA (under Assam).
- Based on this report, around 3,648 sq km of the plain area of Balipara and Sadiya foothills was transferred from Arunachal Pradesh (then NEFA) to Assam’s then Darrang and Lakhimpur districts.
- This remains the bone of contention as Arunachal Pradesh refuses to accept this notification as the basis of demarcation.
3. Historical Background of the Dispute
- The dispute dates back to the British era when in 1873 British announced inner line regulation. British demarcated planes and frontier Hills, which were later designated as North-East frontier tracts in 1915. These Northeast frontier tracts make up today’s Arunachal Pradesh.
- The administrative jurisdiction was passed over to Assam, with frontier tracts renamed as Northeast Frontier Agency (NEFA) in 1954.
- Later in 1972, Arunachal Pradesh was declared as a union territory, and it gained statehood in 1987.
- However, in 1951, a subcommittee headed by Assam Chief Minister made some recommendations about the administration of NEFA.
- Based on the committee report, 3648 sq. km of the plain area was transferred from Arunachal Pradesh to Assam’s then Darrang and Lakhimpur districts. Arunachal Pradesh refuses to accept this notification, and this has become a bone of contention.
4. Assam-Arunachal Pradesh Border Dispute
- Arunachal Pradesh, which was earlier a part of Assam, shares a boundary of roughly 800 km with the state.
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Disputes between the two states came to the fore after the establishment of Arunachal Pradesh as a Union Territory in 1972.
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The dispute in question is over 123 villages that stretch across 12 districts of Arunachal Pradesh and eight of Assam.
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The Process of demarcation of the boundary between Assam and Arunachal Started in 1972 and by 1979, 396 km of the boundary was demarcated.
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However, a number of anomalies and disputes regarding the border surfaced during the survey. As a result, the process of demarcation had to be suspended.
5. Efforts at demarcation
- Between 1971 and 1974, there were multiple efforts to demarcate the boundary but it did not work out. In April 1979, a high-powered tripartite committee was constituted to delineate the boundary on the basis of Survey of India maps.
- By 1983-84, out of the 800 km, 489 km, mostly in the north bank of the Brahmaputra, were demarcated. However, further demarcation could not commence because Arunachal Pradesh did not accept the recommendations.
- Formal talks over the issue had begun between the CMs of both states in January 2022.
- Following their second meeting in April 2022, it was resolved to set up 12 district-level committees to undertake joint surveys in the disputed areas to find a solution.
6. Legal fighting between the two states
- After Arunachal Pradesh did not accept the recommendations, Assam filed a case in the Supreme Court in 1989, highlighting an “encroachment” made by Arunachal Pradesh.
- The apex court-appointed a local boundary commission in 2006, headed by a retired SC judge. In September 2014, the local commission submitted its report.
- Several recommendations were made and it was suggested that both states should arrive at a consensus through discussions. However, nothing came of it.
7. MoU between the states
- An MoU, aimed at resolving the boundary dispute between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh was signed by Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Arunachal Pradesh counterpart Pema Khandu in the presence of the Union Home Minister.
- As per this MoU, disputes over 34 of these villages stand resolved. The disputes over 37 villages had been resolved through the Namsai Declaration of July 2022.
- The state governments agree that no new claim area or village will be added in the future beyond these 123 villages.
- Both governments also agreed to effectively prevent any new encroachment in the border areas.
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For Prelims: Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Northeast Frontier Agency (NEFA), Darrang and Lakhimpur districts, and boundary dispute between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
For Mains: 1. What is the historical background of the boundary dispute between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh? Why did the demarcation become a bone of contention between the two states? (250 Words).
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Source: The Indian Express
