MZP urges govt to stop alleged road construction on disputed land

Mizoram’s apex student body, Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) on Wednesday urged the state government to take steps to ensure immediate stoppage of the alleged ongoing construction of roads by Assam on the disputed lands. Leaders of the organisation on Wednesday visited Aitlang area near Vairengte and alleged that the Assam government is currently constructing roads within Mizoram territory. The organisation said that the construction is currently being halted due to rain.”We urge concerned authorities to stop the ongoing construction till bolder talks to be held on August 9,” the MZP said in a statement. Mizoram and Assam will resume border talks on August 9. The parley will be held in Aizawl.

The Mizoram delegation would be headed by Sapdanga, while the Assam team would be led by its Border Protection and Development Minister Atul Bora. Three Mizoram districts – Aizawl, Kolasib and Mamit – share a 164.6 km border with Assam’s Cachar, Karmganj and Hailankandi districts. The dispute mainly stemmed from two colonial demarcations – 1875 and 1933. Mizoram claims that 509 square miles area of the inner line reserved forest, notified in 1875 under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) 1873, falls within its territory. Assam, on the other hand, regarded the map prepared by the Survey of India in 1933 as its constitutional boundary.

Seven people, including six policemen from Assam, died when police forces of the two states exchanged fire at the inter-state boundary in July 2021. More than 60 people were also injured in the violent clash that took place in the disputed area near Mizoram’s Vairengte village. The two states have held several rounds of talks, including three ministerial level meetings since August 2021 and agreed to maintain peace along the boundary and resolve the dispute through dialogue.