 |
| Dorjee Khandu |
Itanagar, Dec. 23: Assam officials last evening called for “truce” at a meeting in North Lakhimpur with their Arunachal Pradesh counterparts to sort out “territorial differences” with the neighbouring state.
This move comes barely four days after Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Dorjee Khandu moved his Assam counterpart Tarun Gogoi alleging the neighbouring state’s alleged plan to set up polling stations inside the Arunachal territory in Tirap district.
Khandu, in a letter to Gogoi on December 18, stated the concerns of Tirap MLA Thangwam Wangham, who alleged that officials from Assam had proposed a meeting at Nagahat on December 22. The meeting, he said, was called on the pretext of solving the inter-state boundary problem but their main agenda was to establish polling stations in the area. Wangham said the Assam officials had allegedly issued letters to the village authorities and panchayat leaders on December 16 without informing the local administration.
The sources in Papum Pare deputy commissioner’s office today said Lakhimpur DC Jayant Narlekar and Harmuti legislator S.R. Subha took the initiative to call the “truce” meeting, which was held at Circuit House in North Lakhimpur.
It was decided at the meeting that both Lakhimpur and Papum Pare district administration would jointly visit the disputed areas in the Balijan, Gumto and Tarasso areas of the district. Both the sides agreed to make joint efforts to sort out differences that came in the way of good relationship between the two neighbouring states. Since the matter of border-related issues are in the hands of the Supreme Court, it was decided that such matters would be dealt with restraint. The Assam side also agreed to stop activities like eviction in the area, the sources added.
The Arunachal Pradesh delegation comprising parliamentary secretary of industries Nabam Rebia, Papum Pare deputy commissioner Bidol Tayeng, deputy commissioner of Capital Complex, Padmini Singla, superintendent of police (Capital Complex) Hibu Tamang and divisional forest officer (Banderdewa) Tasso Sira took exception to Assam forest officials’ threatening to evict the Arunachal villagers at Belo village under Kimin Circle and Bogoli and Denka villages under Gumto Circle of the district last week.
Nabam Rebia strongly objected to the Assam forest officials’ intimidation tactics in these villages.
Rebia alleged that the Assam forest officials had threatened the villagers of Bogoli and Denka villages to enrol themselves as part of Assam in the next census, a move they allegedly said would spare the villagers from eviction.
Bamang Mangha, former zila parishad member of Kimin, presented details of how the Assam forest officials were distributing application forms for “patta” or land allotment document in Belo village.
The Assam side, however, denied any such attempt. Narlekar said he did not have any knowledge of this incident, but would constitute an inquiry against the complaints of the villagers.