Guwahati, August 16: The Assam government will set up a security camp along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh interstate border at Mingmang-Bodoti to prevent encroachment and check the recurrence of violent incidents, following the firing that injured 11 people earlier this month. MP from Lakhimpur Pradhan Baruah and Jonai MLA Bhubon Pegu, along with Minister Ranoj Pegu, senior district officials and the Superintendent of Police, visited Bodoti village on Saturday and reviewed the situation along the disputed border area.

Speaking on the measures being taken, Baruah said the government is putting pressure on the authorities concerned to nab the miscreants and had decided to establish a camp along the border. “From the government side, we are putting pressure on the authorities.

Today, we visited Bodoti village along with Ranoj Pegu, Bhubon Pegu, district officials and the SSP. We have decided to set up a camp along the border so that there are no further incidents of encroachment,” Baruah said.

He said the issue had also been discussed with legislators from both Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, with the two sides examining the difficulties faced by people living along the border. “We also discussed the issue with the MLAs from Arunachal Pradesh.

There are difficulties on both sides, but our people have shown tremendous patience throughout this situation,” Baruah said. He also expressed concern over the response to alleged criminal activities along the border, saying Assam expected action to be taken more swiftly.

“We have seen that local administration issues sometimes create problems, and criminals are not always arrested as quickly as they should be. Our people have shown a great deal of tolerance and patience in this entire situation,” he said.

Baruah also stressed that the implementation of the Namsai Declaration (2022) should benefit people living in the border areas. “We should get the benefits and security assurances envisaged under the Namsai Declaration,” he said.

Bhubon Pegu said the underlying border dispute was rooted in the manner in which Assam and Arunachal Pradesh were separated, with several issues left unresolved at the time. “When Assam and Arunachal Pradesh were separated, several issues that should have been resolved were left pending by the then Congress government.

That is why these issues continue to persist,” Pegu said. He said the Namsai Declaration had helped resolve a substantial portion of the longstanding disputes, but a significant number of issues remained.