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Assam, Nagaland agree to take steps to maintain peace

By R Dutta Choudhury

GUWAHATI, Sept 25 - The governments of Assam and Nagaland have decided to take effective steps for maintaining peace along the inter-State border areas, while the law-enforcing agencies of both the States will improve coordination to check drug trafficking and movement of ultras.

A Chief Secretary-level meeting of both the States was held in Dimapur today to discuss issues like inter-State border and coordination between the States in areas of mutual interest. Apart from the Chief Secretaries of both the States, other senior officers, including the Director General of Police, Special DGP, Border, senior officers of the Home Department and Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police of the bordering districts were present in the meeting. Interestingly, the Chief Secretary-level meeting of both the States was held after a gap of almost six years though ideally such meetings should be held at least once a year.

When contacted by The Assam Tribune after the meeting, Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna said that Assam government has proposed joint patrolling by police personnel of both the States along the inter-State border areas to ensure peace along the border and the Government of Nagaland has accepted the proposal on principle. He pointed out that at present, Assam Police, Nagaland Police and personnel of the neutral forces deployed in a few sectors of the border carry out patrolling separately and unscrupulous elements take advantage of the situation. He said that the situation would improve considerably when the police forces of both the States start joint patrolling.

Though a case regarding border dispute between both the States is pending before the Supreme Court, the Chief Secretary said that in recent times, the border areas remained more or less peaceful apart from a few minor incidents like land grabbing, attempts to set up schools or offices in each others� territories, etc. Such issues are normally settled in meetings between the border magistrates of concerned Deputy Commissioners of both the States. Frequency of meetings between the border magistrates and Deputy Commissioners of the bordering districts will be increased to deal with such issues.

Sanjay Krishna revealed that drug trafficking is another area of concern and the issue has been discussed in today�s meeting. Police forces of both the States would work in a coordinated manner to deal with the menace.

There have also been instances where militants, particularly those belonging to United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) sneak into Assam through their bases in Myanmar through Nagaland and this issue was also discussed in the meeting.

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