Civil society to approach govt for solving boundary dispute

Itanagar, Aug 7 (UNI) A conglomeration of civil societies, NGOs and students' organisations in Arunachal Pradesh has decided to approach the state government for devising a long time strategy to find a permanent solution to the age-old Assam-Arunachal boundary dispute.

A meeting convened here on Tuesday felt that people living in the border areas need to be sensitized and it should not merely remain as a domain of the state machinery.

The meeting also decided to form a committee to be headed by Tana Showren, lecturer of Rajiv Gandhi University, Niglar Veo president of All Nyishi Students' Union (ANSU) as converner and Kanu Bagang president of All Aruanchal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU) as a member secretary.

The meeting resolved to approach the state government to pass a resolution in the Assembly disowning the one-man Bordoloi committee, constitution of a committee of indigenous researchers for documentation of facts and figures on disputed boundary areas besides enforcement of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.

Later briefing newsmen legislator Ngurang Pinch, who organised the meeting, said no serious exercise had been initiated by the state government to solve the boundary row with Assam.

''Frequent evictions in the border areas carried out by the Assam officials had caused anxiety and harassment to the local people besides incurring huge loss of property,'' he added.

Referring to some incidents in the disputed areas, Pinch said disputes in the border areas were mostly creation of the Assam officials, who were found allegedly involved in raiding and looting innocent villagers.

Regreting that status quo agreement between both the state governments should not be violated, Pinch demanded a committee look into the history of boundary issue and study the entire gamut of the problem.

To a query, Pinch suggested that Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu have an agenda for holding a high level meeting with his Assam counterpart involving all MLAs of the border areas.

''The chief minister should request the Centre to play an intermediary role and insist upon treating Rajgarh Ali as the traditional boundary between the two neighbouring states,'' Pinch said adding, both the states could use the road as an inter-state boundary, which was demarcated centuries back by the then rulers.

Pinch, who earlier met Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in connection with the eviction carried out at Tarasso in Arunachal's Papum Pare district, rued that denial of any eviction order by the Assam chief minister had forced him to file an FIR against the deputy commissioner of Sonitpur district and Assam forest officials.

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