Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang on Monday vowed to adopt a ‘mutually reciprocating approach’ to carry forward constant dialogue and promote people to people contact towards solving all outstanding issues between the two States.
Both the Chief Minister met at a meeting held at the convention center of Kohora at Kaziranga National Park on Monday and agreed upon to have more dialogue for the maintenance of peace and harmony along the border of both the States.
“Both Assam and Nagaland share a common goal towards people centric development and we need to work together for mutual growth and give a boost to Sabka Sath Sabka Vikash. We need to work together to find out lasting solutions in the areas of illegal migration, life and security to the people of both the States and cultural and sporting exchanges,” said Sonowal while addressing the meeting.
Both the Chief Ministers agreed to constitute committees consisting of MPs, MlAs and local people to undertake frequent visits in areas located on border of both the States and to facilitate confidence building measures and strengthen mutual trust and a sense of togetherness.
“We will work jointly to project northeast as a hub of possibilities, potentialities and prosperities and position it in the pan Indian contour showcasing its unmatched beauty in tourism, culture, forest and environment,” Sonowal said.
Zeliang also assured to take steps to boost mutual understanding and cooperation between the people of two States, particularly in bordering areas. “It is undoubtedly an important step towards bringing both the states closer to think together, act together and march together,” Zeliang said adding that the meeting will help both the States in creating an inroad for projecting themselves as a tourist hotspot and give a boost to Act East Policy. Zeliang also invited his counterpart Sarbananda Sonowal to Nagaland during the Hornbill Festival and send cultural troops to Nagaland to which Sonowal agreed.
It may be mentioned here that Assam and Nagaland share a 434 km border. The Assam-Nagaland inter-state border area has been divided, for administrative convenience, into six sectors — A, B, C, D, E and F — spread over Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat and Karbi Anglong districts.
The Assam-Nagaland border conflict dates back to December 1, 1963, when Nagaland was officially declared a state, after a 16-point agreement was signed in 1960 between the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the leaders of the Naga People’s Convention.
There have been 17 skirmishes between the two bordering states since then which includes two major incidents and close to 200 people from both the states had lost their lives due to the clashes that broke out between communities.