On Thursday, Assam filed a suit before a Court here in Cachar district against certain officials of the Mizoram Govt for alleged "encroachment of its forest land & intentional destruction of forests".
The case was filed in the backdrop of tension between the 2 Northeastern states following the alleged encroachment of land in the Cachar district by the people of Mizoram.
Cachar Divisional Forest Officer Sani Deo Choudhury filed the petition against the Superintendent of Police & Deputy Superintendent of Police of Mizoram's Kolasib district & Officers of CRPF's 22 Battalion & the India Reserve Battalion of the neighbouring state.
It was filed under various sections of the Assam Forest Regulation Act.
According to the Act, whoever violates it shall on conviction be punishable with imprisonment for a term not less than three years, which may extend to seven years or with fine, or with both.
Choudhury later told the news agency that encroachers & miscreants from the neighbouring state have allegedly destroyed valuable trees as well as the forest.
He said that the Cachar forest department was planning to take more stringent measures to stop encroachment & protect Assam's forests along the inter-state border.
Assam shares a 164.6 km border with Mizoram & the border demarcation has remained a contentious issue.
The situation has recently flared up in the Khulicherra area of the district, where people from Mizoram have reportedly entered up to 6.5 kilometres inside Assam land a few days ago, following which the Assam Police along with civil administration carried out an eviction drive.
Around 300 Assam Police personnel have been stationed on the border to prevent any bid of encroachment from Mizoram side.
People of neighbouring Mizoram have encroached on nearly 1,800 hectares of Assam land spread across three districts, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said in the assembly on July 12.
A high-level meeting on the border issue attended by chief secretaries & DGPs of Assam & Mizoram was held in New Delhi on July 9.
Mizoram was part of Assam until 1972 when it was carved out as a Union Territory.
It became the 23rd state of India on 20 Feb 1987 following the historic Mizoram Accord between the erstwhile underground Mizo National Front (MNF) & the Centre, ending 20 years of insurgency in the state.
SOURCE ; PTI NEWS
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