A futuristic approach

 It is heartening that the apex chambers of commerce of both Assam and Nagaland- Assam Chamber of Commerce (ACC) and Confederation of Nagaland Chamber and Commerce Industry (CNCCI)- have come together to address the problem posed by border incidents along the disputed borders which have resulted in frequent highway blockades imposed over highways from Assam to Nagaland. It may be recalled that various organisations in Assam in the past, had imposed economic blockades on Nagaland, as a form of punitive action against incidents along the disputed border between the two states. Both the chambers of commerce sought to address the disruptions of transportation of goods by road in order to ensure ‘ceaseless and seamless’ flow of trade. The ACC plans to form Border Management Committees (BMC) at districts bordering Nagaland at Jorhat, Golaghat and Karbi Anglong to ensure that border issues do not affect flow of goods. It may also be noted that Sivasagar district in Assam shares a border with Nagaland’s Longleng district. Six districts of Nagaland – Dimapur, Wokha, Mokokchung, Mon, Longleng and Peren- have borders with Assam. Both the chambers decided to work hand in hand in order to form the border committees , to not only look after the issues and problems faced by the business committee but also over economic issues affected by the border issues. The resolution made by the two chambers at a meeting in Dimapur on April 21 is significant as it is another forward step towards restoring and promoting trade and commerce links. Economic blockades on Nagaland also have consequent impact on Manipur, since a major arterial highway(NH 29) connecting it passes through Nagaland. That way the economies of both Nagaland and Manipur stand to suffer whenever there is an economic blockade on Nagaland or Dimapur district. It may be recalled that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had advised chief ministers of the north eastern states to resolve their boundary issues through state-to-state dialogue and not to expect or depend on the Centre, while addressing the 69th Plenary of the North Eastern Council (NEC) at Shillong on January 23,2021 needs to be understood in its perspective. Shah also told the chief ministers that their boundary disputes be resolved by August 15,2022 when prime minister Narendra Modi gives his speech on the 75th anniversary of India’s independence. That means the states having border disputes should resolve the issue within 19 months by August 15,2022. All the states in the north east are presently either under BJP rule (Arunachal Pradesh), Tripura or alliances with the BJP such as Nagaland (NDPP), Mizoram (MNF), Manipur, Meghalaya (NPP) and Sikkim. The chambers have rightly stated that border disputes should not precede the prime importance of promoting trade and commerce among all states in the region. As it is, the north east has much untapped or unexploited economic potential but suffers from poor connectivity among states. The disputes have only spread misapprehension and also animosity. However, it must be added that border incidents involve very few people along the borders and therefore, the interests of a majority of people of both states cannot be held to ransom. Therefore, a people-to-people approach is a practical step that will also positively impact inter-state relations so as to promote a regional economy.