Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has initiated fresh talks with Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma to resolve the long-pending 109-km inter-state border dispute. Senior officials of both states will soon meet to discuss the issue and pave the way for a lasting, peaceful solution.
Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha has initiated a fresh round of dialogue with Mizoram, paving the way for senior officials of both states to hold detailed discussions on the contentious 109-km shared border.
Senior government officials confirmed on Sunday that Tripura and Mizoram will soon convene official-level meetings to examine the disputed stretches along the border before the issue is taken up at the Chief Minister level. The renewed initiative is expected to strengthen cooperation between the neighbouring northeastern states and promote a peaceful resolution through dialogue.
Speaking at an official programme on Saturday, Chief Minister Manik Saha revealed that he had discussed the border issue with Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma during the 73rd plenary session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) held in Shillong.
According to Dr. Saha, he proposed that both states should resume discussions to find an amicable settlement to the long-standing dispute. He said the Mizoram Chief Minister immediately responded positively to the proposal, expressing willingness to move forward with the dialogue process.
The Tripura Chief Minister further stated that he suggested senior officials from both governments should first hold comprehensive discussions to examine the disputed areas and identify possible solutions before a formal meeting between the two Chief Ministers takes place. Lalduhoma readily accepted the proposal, marking a fresh beginning in efforts to resolve the decades-old issue.
The NEC plenary session in Shillong was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of State for DoNER Sukanta Majumdar, along with the Governors and Chief Ministers of all eight northeastern states.
Tripura shares a 109-km inter-state border with Mizoram and a 53-km border with Assam, while nearly 84 per cent of its total boundary comprises an 856-km international border with Bangladesh. Despite several rounds of discussions over the years, the Tripura-Mizoram border dispute has remained unresolved, with disagreements continuing over certain boundary stretches.
The issue frequently resurfaces whenever either state undertakes infrastructure or development projects in areas claimed by both governments. One of the most notable incidents occurred in May last year at Phuldungsei village along the Tripura-Mizoram border in North Tripura district, where unidentified miscreants hurled moderate-intensity explosives at an under-construction eco-tourism facility, causing extensive damage.
Following the incident, police officials from both states jointly visited the border village to assess the security situation and prevent any escalation. The Tripura government also deployed additional security personnel in the area while taking up the matter with the Mizoram government through official channels.
Subsequently, Tripura Tourism and Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury held a review meeting with district officials at Jampui and decided to reconstruct the damaged tourism infrastructure. The project, estimated at Rs 3.12 crore, is being developed by the Tripura Tourism Department under the Centre’s flagship Swadesh Darshan Scheme to promote tourism in the border region.
Phuldungsei remains one of the sensitive stretches where residents from both states have long maintained overlapping territorial claims. Mizoram-based civil society organisations and student bodies have repeatedly opposed construction activities by the Tripura government in areas they consider disputed.
Over the years, district administrations of North Tripura and Mizoram’s Mamit district, along with officials of the Survey of India, have conducted several rounds of discussions to identify solutions to the disputed patches. However, a final settlement has remained elusive.
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The latest initiative by Chief Minister Manik Saha, backed by the positive response from his Mizoram counterpart Lalduhoma, has renewed hopes that sustained dialogue between senior officials and political leadership could finally lead to a mutually acceptable and peaceful resolution of the long-standing Tripura-Mizoram inter-state border dispute.
