Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said he is hopeful for “some resolution” of the longstanding boundary disputes with Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya this year.

However, it will take more time to settle the boundary rows with Nagaland and Mizoram, he said while addressing a press conference here in Dibrugarh district at the end of a two-day conference of superintendents of police.

Regarding the disputes with Arunachal, Sarma said that it will be pursued once the settlement with Meghalaya is done.

“The disputes with Meghalaya are very small, except for in a couple of areas. The disputes are mostly on paper and there is no question of anyone influencing the boundary residents to choose sides without their own will,” Sarma said.

He said that the disputes with Arunachal were “almost resolved” in 1987, but some technical issues kept the final settlement pending.

“We are hopeful of resolving the disputes with Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh by this year,” he added. Assam and Arunachal share an 804.1-km boundary and there are 1,200 points of dispute.

Four rounds of chief ministerial-level talks between Sarma and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma have taken place over the border issue since Sarma assumed office in May 2021.

Three committees each were formed by the two state governments in August last year to resolve the vexed border disputes in a phased manner.

Out of a total 12 points of disputes between Assam and Meghalaya, six areas with relatively less critical differences have been taken up in the first phase.

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