Tripura Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha on Friday expressed confidence that the long-pending inter-state boundary issue with Mizoram would be resolved soon, following a recent meeting between senior officials of the two states in Agartala.

Speaking on the issue, Chief Minister Manik Saha said that he and the Mizoram Chief Minister had earlier discussed the boundary dispute and agreed to work together towards finding a solution. However, he later suggested that the matter first be taken up at the official level before another Chief Minister-level meeting.

“Already I have informed everyone that the Mizoram Chief Minister and I had held a meeting over the issue and had decided to sit together to solve the matter. However, later I asked him to first hold a meeting at the officer level, following which a Chief Minister-level meeting would be held,” Dr. Saha said.

He said Mizoram officials arrived in Tripura on Wednesday and subsequently held discussions with their counterparts. “I believe the solution would happen soon,” the Chief Minister said.

A Home Secretary-level meeting between the two states was held in Agartala on Thursday to discuss the boundary issue and establish a mechanism for resolving outstanding differences.

According to state government sources, both sides have agreed to maintain status quo on the ground in the Phuldungsai Village Council (VC) area of Tripura’s North District. Routine developmental activities in the area may continue, while any special project proposed there will be communicated to the other state.

The two states have also agreed that neither side will undertake any unilateral demarcation exercise. The Survey of India will be involved in any future joint demarcation process.

As part of the agreed mechanism, a Joint Technical Team will be constituted comprising the Directors of the Directorate of Land Records and Settlement (DLRS) of Tripura and Mizoram, along with the Director of the Survey of India’s Guwahati office. The team will examine the available land records with the Survey of India before undertaking any future field survey.

Both states have further agreed to designate their respective Additional Home Secretaries and Directors of DLRS as nodal officers for day-to-day coordination on the boundary issue.

The Joint Technical Team will meet every fortnight at the Survey of India’s Silchar office. The meetings are aimed at building consensus on border-related land records ahead of any future field demarcation exercise.

Meanwhile, another Home Secretary-level meeting between Tripura and Mizoram is scheduled to be held in Aizawl after two months, as part of the ongoing efforts to resolve the inter-state boundary dispute.