Boundary pillars along Assam-Arunachal border uprooted in Lakhimpur

North Lakhimpur, May 7: At a time when the State governments of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh are stepping up efforts to resolve border issues, people from Arunachal Pradesh were accused of allegedly uprooting demarcation pillars installed by the Assam Forest department at Methun Chapori in Ranga Reserve Forest of Lakhimpur district. 

According to one Assam Forest personnel, people from Arunachal Pradesh side are uprooting concrete pillars posted by Lakhimpur forest department for plantations under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) scheme on Saturday. About four hundred pillars were reportedly pulled out in the incident.

This was preceded by the visit of the Circle Officer of Kimin, Papum Pare district of Arunachal Pradesh on Friday who had asked the Lakhimpur Forest personnel to stop the CAMPA work there.

Across the boundary people of Belo village of Arunachal Pradesh alleged that people from Assam side had entered their side and encroached their land by installing concrete pillars on a stretch of five kilometre area.

This was the third such skirmish on Assam-Arunachal inter-state boundary after the signing of the MoU between the Chief Ministers of the two states on boundary settlement on April 21 in New Delhi.