Inter-state agreements brokered by the Union are emerging as a pragmatic substitute for formal boundary settlements. Examine in light of recent Northeast accords.

Q. Inter-state agreements brokered by the Union are emerging as a pragmatic substitute for formal boundary settlements. Examine in light of recent Northeast accords. (15 marks, 250 words)

India's inter-state boundary disputes, like Assam–Nagaland (pending before the Supreme Court since the 1960s), resist formal redrawing under Article 3. Instead, the Union now brokers operational agreements — pragmatic instruments that manage frictions without resolving borders.

How they function as pragmatic substitutes - Sidestepping deadlock: the tripartite Assam–Nagaland mineral-oil MoU (2026) unlocks a long-frozen hydrocarbon belt through joint governance and 50:50 revenue-sharing, without prejudicing either state's territorial claim [1]. - Cooperative federalism: the Centre acts as honest broker between states — the Assam–Meghalaya pact (2022) settled 6 of 12 disputed areas [2]. - Speed and flexibility: executive agreements avoid protracted litigation and Article 3 legislation. - Confidence-building: the Assam Rifles land transfer to Mizoram (2025) defused a fault line and aided development [3]. - Together they advance energy security, the AFSPA drawdown, and Northeast peace.

Why they are no true substitute - They are workarounds, not settlements: the Assam–Nagaland boundary remains sub judice [1]. - Success hinges on political alignment between cooperating governments — fragile across electoral cycles. - Shared zones leave administrative and revenue ambiguities. - Bypassing the legislature and courts defers, rather than delivers, legal finality.

Union-brokered accords are effective interim devices that deepen cooperative federalism and stabilise the Northeast, but they complement rather than replace formal settlement. Institutionalising them through the Inter-State Council (Article 263), alongside eventual constitutional resolution, would convert pragmatic peace into durable peace.

(~250 words)

Sources: 1. Tripartite MoU between Government of India, Assam and Nagaland for mineral oil operations (PIB, 2026) — joint governance, 50:50 revenue-sharing, no prejudice to territorial claims; dispute still sub judice 2. Assam–Meghalaya inter-state border agreement signed before HM Amit Shah (PIB, March 2022) — settlement of 6 of 12 disputed areas 3. Transfer of Assam Rifles Battalion land to Government of Mizoram (PIB, 2025) — confidence-building measure in the Northeast