Assam Rifles assures Mizoram govt of shifting base from Aizawl

Aizawl: Mizoram’s lone Lok Sabha member C. Lalrosanga on Thursday said the Assam Rifles has assured the Mizoram government to shift its battalion headquarters from Aizawl to Zokhawsang, about 15 km on the eastern outskirts of the state capital, an official statement said.

There are three Assam Rifles battalions in Mizoram with their headquarters in Aizawl, Lunglei in the southern part of the state and in central Mizoram’s Serchhip town.

During a courtesy call with Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati on Thursday, Lalrosanga informed the former that he had been already assured by the Director-General of Assam Rifles to commence relocation of their base from the heart of Aizawl to Zokhawsang at the end of monsoon this year, the statement said.

The MP believes that there will be no objection in shifting the Assam Rifles base as the proposed headquarters at Zokhawsang has been duly completed, it said.

He urged the governor to intervene in the matter as he believed that the relocation of Assam Rifles battalion headquarters will solve the congestion problem in the state capital, the statement said.

In February 2019, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had directed the Assam Rifles to shift its battalion headquarters from Aizawl to Zokhawsang by May 31 that year.

Zokhawsang is located about 15 km on the eastern outskirt of Aizawl.

Despite the Centre’s directive, the country’s oldest paramilitary force has not shifted its base to the designated place till date.

The Assam Rifles headquarters has been located on a vast stretch of land in the heart of Aizawl since 1917. The country’s oldest paramilitary force has bases at Zodin (Lammual) and Khatla area in Aizawl.

The erstwhile Mizo National Front (MNF) government headed by former chief minister Laldenga had demanded the shifting of Assam Rifles’ headquarters to Zokhawsang in 1988 after the security forces killed seven civilians in a clash.

Earlier in March, Chief Minister Zoramthanga had written to the Union Home Ministry, to expedite the relocation of Assam Rifles headquarters to Zokhawsang. 

Meanwhile, Lalrosanga also briefed the Governor about various projects that are pending with the Centre with a particular reference to the DoNER Ministry. 

He assumed that these projects will soon get approved since there are enough funds set aside for 10 per cent Gross Budgetary Support of different ministries for the Northeastern states including CSS and CS.

The Governor lauded the MP for his efforts and asked him to utilize his MP fund to the optimum for the development of the state. He also urged Lalrosanga to find out the possibility for the inclusion of Mizo language in the 8th schedule.

Among others, the two have also discussed the need for expediting the completion of Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (KMMTTP), the Indo-Myanmar bilateral project to connect West Bengal’s Kolkata with Northeast India via Sittwe seaport in Myanmar’s Rakhine.

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