Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Lawmakers from Assam and Nagaland are forming a joint committee to settle friction along their shared border. Sarupathar MLA Biswajit Phukan and Bhandari MLA Achumbemo Kikon pitched the Sarupathar-Bhandari Joint Peace and Coordination Committee on September 19. They want Border Magistrates, local residents, and civil society groups from both sides to handle disputes through talks. They met earlier that morning at Phukan’s residence in Sarupathar to plot the group's course.
The move targets the border between Assam’s Golaghat district and Nagaland’s Bhandari, home to a contentious stretch known as the Disputed Area Belt. Phukan announced the plan during a friendship and cultural exchange event held at Hatidubi near Uriamghat. The gathering honored the first death anniversary of Assamese cultural icon Zubeen Garg. Phukan kept the peace initiative focused on daily community issues rather than the broader legal battle currently pending before the Supreme Court.
He noted that while the high court handles the boundary itself, locals need relief from uncertainty. "Residents of border villages could not continue living with uncertainty," Phukan said. Plans are moving forward for a border summit between Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio. The two states also intend to kick off a ceremonial tree plantation drive in the belt.
Economic development remains a priority. The government intends to build an express road from Chungajan to Dimapur, slashing travel time to the airport from forty minutes to fifteen. Assam will also distribute five lakh tissue-cultured bamboo saplings to help with income. These plants will serve as feedstock for the Numaligarh Refinery’s bio-refinery. One lakh saplings, valued at Rs 50 lakh, will go to Naga residents for free. Phukan emphasized that the initiative is for environmental health, citing recent floods in Mon, Sivasagar, and Charaideo districts as motivation to move past old grievances.
Updated at 20th September 2026 at 6:00pm
Phukan and Kikon issued a formal joint statement reinforcing their commitment to communal harmony and preventing the spread of misinformation in the disputed zone. The document calls on village institutions and civil society to stop confrontations before they start.
The initiative pushes for a broader range of shared activities to bridge the divide, including joint sports events, youth programs, and festivals focused on music, literature, and traditional arts. The lawmakers want these exchanges to become a standard practice for communities living along the line.
Phukan clarified that the tree planting effort is purely environmental and carries no political weight. He referenced the old Ahom custom of mita, a tradition where families from the two states traded gifts to build lasting personal bonds, as the model for future cooperation.
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