Tripura CM Manik Saha revives Mizoram border talks on 109-km dispute
Synopsis
Tripura CM Manik Saha has personally brokered a fresh dialogue with Mizoram over their contested 109-km border — a dispute that has festered for years and turned violent as recently as last year with an explosion at a ₹3.12 crore tourism project. The two-stage official-then-CM-level talks mark the most structured push toward resolution in recent memory.
Key Takeaways
Tripura CM Manik Saha initiated fresh border dialogue with Mizoram CM Lalduhoma at the 73rd NEC plenary session in Shillong .
Senior officials of both states will hold preliminary talks before a Chief Minister-level meeting is convened.
The disputed boundary between the two states stretches 109 km and has remained unresolved for several years.
In May last year , unidentified individuals bombed an under-construction tourism building at Phuldungsei village , causing substantial damage to a ₹3.12 crore Swadesh Darshan Scheme project.
Both North Tripura district and Mizoram's Mamit district administrations, along with the Survey of India , have previously held multiple rounds of inconclusive discussions.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has initiated fresh dialogue with Mizoram to resolve the long-standing inter-state border dispute along the shared 109-km boundary, with senior officials of both northeastern states set to hold preliminary talks in the coming weeks. The development follows a bilateral exchange between Saha and Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on the sidelines of the 73rd plenary session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) held in Shillong.
How the Dialogue Was Revived
Addressing an official function in Agartala on Saturday, 12 July, CM Saha said he had personally raised the border issue with his Mizoram counterpart during the NEC session. 'When I proposed to the Mizoram Chief Minister that we should hold talks to resolve the inter-state border dispute, he immediately agreed,' Saha said.
The Tripura CM outlined a two-stage approach: senior officials from both states would first convene to examine the dispute in detail, after which a Chief Minister-level meeting would follow. 'The Mizoram Chief Minister readily agreed to my proposal,' Saha added. The 73rd NEC plenary was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Minister for the Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of State for DoNER Sukanta Majumdar, and the Governors and Chief Ministers of all eight northeastern states.
Geography of the Dispute
Tripura is geographically unique in that it is surrounded by Bangladesh on its southern, western, and northern flanks, sharing an 856-km international border — nearly 84 per cent of its total boundary. Within India, the state shares a 53-km border with Assam and the contested 109-km border with Mizoram. The Tripura-Mizoram boundary dispute has remained unresolved for several years, with tensions periodically flaring whenever either state undertakes construction or development work in areas claimed by both sides.
The Phuldungsei Flashpoint
One of the most volatile stretches is Phuldungsei village in North Tripura district, which residents on both sides claim falls within their respective state's territory. In May last year, unidentified individuals hurled moderate-intensity explosives at an under-construction tourism building at the village, causing substantial damage to the structure. Police officials from both Tripura and Mizoram subsequently visited the mountainous border village to assess the situation.
The damaged facility was part of a ₹3.12 crore eco-tourism project being developed on forest land at Phuldungsei under the Centre's Swadesh Darshan Scheme of the Union Tourism Ministry. Following the blast, Tripura Tourism and Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury held a review meeting at Jampui in North Tripura district and decided to rebuild the damaged infrastructure. Both states deployed additional security personnel in the area, and the Tripura government subsequently raised the matter with Mizoram through official channels.
History of Efforts and Civil Society Resistance
Over the years, district administrations of North Tripura district and Mizoram's Mamit district, along with officials of the Survey of India, have held multiple rounds of discussions to demarcate disputed patches along the inter-state boundary. Mizoram-based civil society groups and student organisations have, on several occasions, opposed construction activities by the Tripura government in areas they describe as disputed inter-state border stretches, adding a social dimension to what is formally a territorial and administrative dispute.
With CM Saha now personally driving the engagement, the upcoming official-level talks represent the most structured attempt in recent years to break the deadlock — though the path to a final resolution is expected to be long and complex.
Point of View
But the real test lies in whether official-level talks can produce a demarcation framework that sticks. Past rounds involving district administrations and the Survey of India have repeatedly stalled, largely because civil society groups on the Mizoram side treat any construction in disputed stretches as a provocation. The Phuldungsei explosion is a reminder that the dispute carries real security costs — a ₹3.12 crore central tourism project was destroyed, and both states had to redeploy security forces. Without a binding inter-state boundary agreement backed by both state legislatures and the Centre, the dialogue risks becoming another in a long series of goodwill gestures that dissolve the moment a JCB crosses the wrong ridge.
NationPress
12 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Tripura-Mizoram border dispute about?
The dispute concerns the demarcation of a 109-km inter-state boundary shared by Tripura and Mizoram, with both states claiming overlapping stretches of territory. Tensions flare periodically when either state undertakes construction or development work in areas claimed by both sides.
What did CM Manik Saha propose to resolve the dispute?
CM Saha proposed a two-stage process: senior officials of both Tripura and Mizoram would first hold detailed discussions, followed by a Chief Minister-level meeting. Mizoram CM Lalduhoma reportedly agreed to the proposal during the 73rd NEC plenary in Shillong.
What happened at Phuldungsei village on the Tripura-Mizoram border?
In May last year, unidentified individuals hurled moderate-intensity explosives at an under-construction eco-tourism building at Phuldungsei village in North Tripura district, causing substantial damage to the structure. The building was part of a ₹3.12 crore project under the Centre's Swadesh Darshan Scheme.
Who attended the 73rd NEC plenary session in Shillong?
The session was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Minister for DoNER Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of State for DoNER Sukanta Majumdar, and the Governors and Chief Ministers of all eight northeastern states.
Have Tripura and Mizoram attempted to resolve this dispute before?
Yes. District administrations of North Tripura and Mizoram's Mamit district, along with Survey of India officials, have held multiple rounds of discussions over the years, but the dispute remains unresolved. Mizoram civil society groups and student organisations have also repeatedly opposed Tripura's construction activities in the contested zones.
