Guwahati, 29 July (HS): The Assam government on Wednesday informed the State Assembly that 82,751.86 hectares of its land are currently under the occupation of four neighbouring states—Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Mizoram.

Replying to a question raised by Indipendent MLA Akhil Gogoi, Border Protection and Development Minister Atul Bora said Nagaland accounts for the largest occupied area at 59,490.21 hectares. Arunachal Pradesh occupies 16,144.01 hectares, while Mizoram and Meghalaya account for 3,675.78 hectares and 3,441.86 hectares, respectively.

The minister further stated that neighbouring states have also staked claims over large parts of Assam's territory. Nagaland has claimed 12,882.6 sq km of Assam, followed by Meghalaya with 2,732.14 sq km, Mizoram with 927.74 sq km and Arunachal Pradesh with 858.91 sq km.

Bora told the House that the state government is addressing the long-pending boundary disputes through dialogue. He noted that bilateral agreements have already been signed with Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh following the directions of the Union Home Ministry.

Assam shares interstate borders of 884.9 km with Meghalaya, 804.1 km with Arunachal Pradesh, 512.1 km with Nagaland, 164.6 km with Mizoram and 46.3 km with Tripura. The government said discussions with neighbouring states are continuing to achieve mutually acceptable solutions to the border issues.------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash