On Monday in New Delhi, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga and his Assam colleague, Himanta Biswa Sarma, will hold discussions for the second time to attempt to resolve their two northeastern states’ boundary issue.
On August 10, the chief ministers also spoke on the phone and decided to hold talks later that month or at the beginning of September. They had previously met in Shah’s presence in Delhi in November of last year and had decided to form panels with participation from all parties to settle the conflict and hold chief ministerial level discussions.
The border dispute between Mizoram and Assam, which spans 164.6 km, is a result of colonial demarcations made in 1875 and 1933. A section of a forest that had been declared a reserve was held by Mizoram. It presently belongs under Assam in part.
Assam has made claims over some territories under Mizoram’s jurisdiction and argued that the boundary as shown on the survey of India’s map from 1933 is final.
