Tripura and Mizoram held their first round of official-level talks here on Thursday to find an amicable solution to their long-standing inter-state boundary dispute
AGARTALA — Tripura and Mizoram held their first round of official-level talks here on Thursday to find an amicable solution to their long-standing inter-state boundary dispute, Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Friday.
Saha said he had earlier taken the initiative to revive the dialogue with Mizoram to resolve the long-pending boundary dispute through mutual discussions.
He said that during the 73rd plenary session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) in Shillong on June 4, he discussed the inter-state boundary issue with his Mizoram counterpart Lalduhoma.
"I proposed that an official-level meeting should be held first to discuss the issue, following which the two Chief Ministers could hold talks to resolve the inter-state boundary dispute. Chief Minister Lalduhoma readily agreed to the proposal," Saha said.
An official said the first official-level meeting was held here on Thursday, during which it was decided to constitute two study committees to examine the inter-state boundary issues and related problems on the ground.
"The study committees will examine the inter-state boundary and related issues at the ground level and submit their reports. The next round of official-level talks will be held after the reports are received," the official said.
Tripura Home Secretary Abhishek Singh and his Mizoram counterpart Vanlalmawia led their respective delegations at the meeting.
Tripura, which is surrounded by Bangladesh on its southern, western, and northern sides, has a 53-km-long border with Assam and a 109-km-long border with Mizoram.
The border dispute between Tripura and Mizoram has remained unresolved for many years. Tensions often surface whenever either state undertakes development or construction work in disputed areas, with the other state raising objections.
In one such incident, unidentified assailants in May last year hurled moderate-intensity explosives at an under-construction tourism building at Phuldungsei village in North Tripura district, causing substantial damage to the structure. The project was being implemented under the Centre’s flagship Swadesh Darshan Scheme of the Union Tourism Ministry.
Following the blast, police officials from both Tripura and Mizoram visited the mountainous border village to assess the situation and maintain peace.
Soon after the incident, Tripura Tourism and Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury met senior district officials, and it was decided to reconstruct the building.
Residents living on both sides of the inter-state border have long maintained that Phuldungsei village falls within the territorial claims of both Tripura and Mizoram, making it one of the disputed stretches between the two states.
Following the incident, both Tripura and Mizoram deployed additional security personnel in the area, while authorities closely monitored the situation to prevent any further escalation.
Tripura subsequently took up the matter with Mizoram through official channels. Over the years, the administrations of North Tripura district and Mizoram’s Mamit district, along with officials of the Survey of India, have held several rounds of discussions to resolve the disputed patches along the inter-state boundary. Mizoram-based civil society groups and student organisations have, on several occasions, opposed construction activities undertaken by the Tripura government in areas they describe as "disputed inter-state border" stretches.