By IANS
Kolkata : The Indian Army chief, Gen. J.J. Singh, Friday said insurgency had come down to a great extent in the northeast and peace was returning to the region.
“There is a groundswell of support for peace in the northeast,” Singh told reporters on his farewell visit to the Eastern Command headquarters here.
“Insurgency has come down drastically in Assam, Manipur and the entire northeast. In Assam, the army has been able to break the backbone of the ULFA (United Liberation Front of Asom),” added Singh, who retires Sep 30.
“Many of their cadres have either been caught or killed,” said Singh.
“The commander of ULFA’s 28th battalion has recently been arrested. The outfit is also gradually losing the support of the people and differences have cropped up within the leaders of the organisation,” he added.
“We have been carrying on a dialogue with militant outfits in the northeast and it has been fruitful so far,” Singh maintained.
The army chief said that with peace returning to Assam, Guwahati would emerge as the economic hub of the region.
“Guwahati will become the main centre of the northeast. It will become the main hub of economic activity once peace returns to the region,” he contended.
Regarding the border dispute with China over Arunachal Pradesh, Singh said it was being handled in a “mature” way.
“A dialogue is on to find a solution to the issue,” he said.