Yupia, Oct 8: The Regional Border Committee of Papum Pare held a meeting on Tuesday to examine the present status of border dispute with Assam under the chairmanship of Balo Raja, Minister (UA,LM,CA) cum Chairman Regional Committee for Papum Pare district.
The Minister called for collaborative efforts from all stakeholders to solve the long pending border issue amicably. He called for fixing responsibilities and working with a team spirit to prepare a concrete road map for the settlement of boundary problems amicably with the counterpart districts of Assam.
Emphasising on transparency and open communication, the minister said. 
“Any issue can be solved through clear and effective communication. We all as stakeholders will have to share information and intelligence,” while urging all the stakeholders to share their understanding of the circumstances with one another.
While discussing the importance of maintaining cordial ties with neighbours as well as the idea of negotiation, the Minister also stated that the role of the local MLA, DC, forums, and unions in this regard is crucial for an early conclusion.
He requested the house to complete the tasks assigned within this month and submit report so that the problems can be discussed with the Regional Committee of counterpart districts of Assam by January next year.
Doimukh MLA Nabam Vivek while participating in the discussion emphasised on team work to deal with boundary issues. Advocating for a ground-level recheck, he stressed on the importance of holding internal meetings in addition to those with their Assam counterpart. 
“The District Administration and the Administrative Officers of the border areas need to conduct field survey/ground survey exercise in consultation with Border People’s Forum and hold meetings with local people of the area, since they are the primary stakeholders,” the MLA said.
Informing that 14 - Doimukh shares the longest boundary with Assam, MLA Vivek stated that  he has started meeting the legislators of Assam whose constituencies share boundary with 14-Doimukh.
“ I am looking forward to meet the Regional Committees of Lakhimpur and Biswanath District by the end of November, so that the boundary problem with Assam can be settled immediately in team spirit,” he said.
Papum Pare Deputy Commissioner Jiken Bomjen, stressed on the need to maintain status-quo in the border areas and follow the MoU of the Namsai Declaration which was signed by the Chief Ministers of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. He also advised to keep strict vigil in the border areas till an agreement is made between both the states. 
Deputy Director (Inter-State Border Affairs), Rome Mele presented a PPT on the position of the boundary villages of Papum Pare District and the demands of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The MoU signed by both the Chief Ministers of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh was also presented in the meeting. He also highlighted the suggestions regarding the exchange of villages between both the states once the boundary issues are settled.
President, Border People’s Forum, Nabam Akin Hina requested the house to settle the boundary problems transparently under the newly constituted Regional Committee under the Chairmanship of Minister Balo Raja.  He also requested to consult the local people of the area before signing any agreement between the states and district. He further suggested holding consultative meetings with DCs of Pakke Kesang and Kamle districts to demarcate the borders of these three districts with Assam.
Nabam Tatang, representing All Papum Pare District Students Union highlighted the recent eviction carried out at Kakoi and informed that the union is ready to support the District Administration for conducting survey and demarcation in boundary areas to settle the border problems.  
SP Taru Gusar was also present among a host of top officials.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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