Tripura, Mizoram Hold First Talks to Resolve Long-Standing Boundary Dispute

Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday said the chief secretaries of his state and Mizoram held their first round of talks here to find an amicable solution to the long-standing boundary dispute between the two northeastern states.

Phuldungsei, a remote village in the hills along the inter-state border, is the point of dispute, with both states claiming it as part of their territory. The two states share a boundary of around 109 km.

"The first round of meeting of chief secretaries of Tripura and Mizoram was held at the state guest house here on Thursday. I could not get details on the outcome of the meeting but will let you know later," the chief minister told reporters.

Saha said he was hopeful of finding an amicable solution to the long-standing boundary dispute through dialogue.

"During a recent meeting, I raised the issue of the boundary problem with my Mizoram counterpart Lalduhoma, who readily agreed to solve the issue amicably. Yesterday's meeting was follow-up action to address the problem," he said.

On elections to village committees of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), Saha said the NDA would win the polls by a massive margin.

"The seat adjustment with the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) could not take place due to some reasons for the elections to TTAADC in April, but this time the three parties -- BJP, TMP and IPFT --have agreed to contest the election as NDA. We are confident of winning the VC elections massively," he said.

The chief minister, however, did not specify the seat-sharing arrangement with its allies, the TMP and Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT).

"The committees of both sides are working to settle the seat-sharing process as per the guidelines set earlier. The picture will be clear after the completion of withdrawal of nomination, which is to expire on Friday evening," he said.

The elections to 587 village committees in the Sixth Schedule areas are scheduled on September 28.