By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Guwahati: The Governments of Assam and Nagaland mutually agreed to resolve the border row amicably and to form a joint mechanism to work out a solution to the problem.
Emerging from a one and a half hour long meeting, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang said that both the states have agreed to resolve the long pending border issues by forming a joint mechanism in Guwahati on Thursday. They said both the states would continue with the efforts to resolve the border issues from the Chief Secretary level down to the Deputy Commissioner level.
Assam CM Tarun Gogoi (centre) with union home minister for state Kiren Rijiju (right) and Nagaland CM TR Zeliang during the meeting in Guwahati.
Terming the incident leading to loss of lives as unfortunate, both Gogoi and Zeliang said that a good beginning has been made to resolve the long pending border imbroglio and efforts would continue at the official level with holding of frequent meetings.
Chief Minister Gogoi said that the first priority was to restore peace and tranquility and to send back the displaced people to their respective homes. “We have built up our efforts to instill confidence among the affected people and to restore normalcy in the trouble-torn areas along the inter-State border,” he added.
Chief Minister Zeliang said both the sides are in constant touch with each after the August 12 incident and talks are going on both at the political and administrative level. “We will continue with our dialogue at all levels to resolve the long pending border issues and to contain the situation,” he added.
Zeliang pointed that his Government has already constituted an inquiry committee to go into the entire incident to arrive at the bottom of the truth. The Chief Minister said that his Government has apprehended 15 persons who were allegedly involved in the incident.
The Nagaland Chief Minister appreciated the efforts taken by his counterpart to bring the situation under control.
Both the Chief Ministers assured that they would ensure the security of the people of both the neighbouring States from threat and intimidation. Gogoi and Zeliang appealed to the protestors to ‘calm down’ and to help the administration in restoring peace and tranquility in the affected areas.
Gogoi and Zeliang appreciated the efforts of the Union Home Minister of State Kiren Rijiju to act as a mediator between both the sides and for his assurance that the Centre would pitch in its efforts to augment security along the disputed area belt.
Both the Chief Ministers said that they are one in their opinion that the CRPF must be vested with more powers to deal with any exigency effectively.
Union Minister of State, Home, Kiren Rijiju said that the Centre would extend all possible help and support to both the Governments to contain the situation. “We want early restoration of peace and tranquility in the violence affected areas. The Centre would extend all possible help towards this end,” he said.
Underscoring the need for people to people contact at the local level, Rijiju said that such efforts would remove misgivings and help to build bridges of understanding between the people living along the inter-State border. “People to people contact would remove the lack of confidence at the ground level. Frequent meetings would help to bring about better understanding,” he said, adding that people of both the States have to live together, co-exist peacefully.
Rijiju said the coming together of both the States has send out a clear signal that they want resolution of the problems across the table. “The decision to form a joint mechanism to resolve the border issues is a step in the right direction,” he said. He appreciated the stand of both the Governments to provide adequate compensation to the displaced people.
A deserted road in Guwahati on Thursday due to bandh.
Rijiju appealed to the agitators not to resort to economic blockade causing inconvenience and hardship to the people of neighbouring State. He cautioned everyone to remain vigil so that no anti-social elements could take advantage of the situation and add fuel to fire.
The Assam side was represented by Chief Secretary, Minister, Agriculture, Minister, Forest & Environment, DGP, Additional CS, Revenue & Disaster Management, Principal Secretary, Home & Political, Principal Secretary, Border Areas Department, Commissioner & Secretary, Home and the Nagaland side by Chief Secretary, Additional CS, Commissioner, Home, DGP, Adviser to CM, Parliamentary Secretary, Minister, Agriculture.
On Thursday, the 12 hour Assam bandh called by Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and some other organizations crippled the normal life in the state. The bandh was called in protest against the state government’s failure in solving the border dispute and atrocity on public by police in Golaghat district.
Related:
Assam-Nagaland border in chaos: Police firing kills protestors in Assam