Guwahati: The proposed border talks between Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sharma, earlier scheduled for Monday, will now take place on Wednesday, an official in the CMO said on Monday.
Zoramthanga is currently camping in the national capital.
The chief ministers of the two states last week had a telephonic conversation and agreed to hold talks for the second time in New Delhi, which was fixed on September 19 (Monday), to find an amicable solution to the long-standing interstate boundary dispute between the two neighbouring northeastern states.
The meeting in Delhi has been rescheduled to be held tentatively on September 21 after Sarma, who has gone back to his state on family matters, returned to the national capital, the CMO official said.
The official said that the Mizoram CM was currently in New Delhi meeting ministers and other important officials of the Centre on various issues.
Both Zoramthanga and Sarma had met in Delhi in November last year in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and agreed to form panels of their own involving all stakeholders to resolve the border dispute through dialogue. They also agreed to have chief minister-level talks from time to time.
Mizoram shares a 164.6 km long border with Assam.
The border dispute between the two neighbouring states is vexed and long-standing that stemmed from two colonial demarcations of 1875 and 1933.
The border dispute between Mizoram and Assam had turned violent in July last year leading to the death of six policemen and a civilian from Assam when police forces of the two states exchanged fire on the disputed area near Vairengte village on the National Highway-306.
Around 60 people had also been injured in the violent clash, which was followed by a blockade organised by residents of Assam’s Laipur village on NH-306, the lifeline of Mizoram for nearly a month.
On August 5 last year, the two states held ministerial-level talks in Aizawl and agreed to maintain peace along the inter-state boundary.
Both sides had also agreed to resolve the dispute through dialogue.
The delegations of Mizoram and Assam had also met on August 9 this year in Aizawl and decided to hold the next round of talks in October at Guwahati.
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