Centre waived Rs 5.23 crore payable by Mizoram govt for vacated Assam Rifles facilities: CM

The Centre has waived Rs 5.23 crore payable by the Mizoram government as depreciated cost for Assam Rifles buildings vacated in Aizawl. Chief Minister Lalduhoma welcomed the decision, calling it a positive outcome of his appeal to the Union Home Ministry

Aizawl: The Centre has waived an amount of Rs 5.23 crore as depreciated cost that the Mizoram government was required to pay for buildings and infrastructure vacated by the Assam Rifles in Aizawl, Chief Minister Lalduhoma said.

Lalduhoma said he had written to the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nitiyanand Rai in May last year, urging him to waive the sum.

---

Depreciated cost refers to the reduced value of buildings and infrastructure after accounting for wear and tear over time.

“In reply to my communication, the Union minister sent me a letter informing me that the Mizoram government need not pay the depreciated cost. It is a matter of happiness that our request has been accepted,” the CM said in a Facebook post late on Monday.

As per the Memorandum of Agreement signed between the Mizoram government and the Assam Rifles to relocate its bases from Aizawl, the former had to pay Rs 5.23 crore as depreciated cost for buildings and other infrastructure vacated by the paramilitary force, he said.

In March last year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had attended a function in Aizawl, marking the relocation of Assam Rifles bases to a designated camp at Zokhawsang, about 15 km east of the state capital.

The phase-wise relocation began in April, 2025, officials said.

The demand for the relocation came in the wake of the difficult topography and congestion in Aizawl, they said.

The Assam Rifles has its bases in Zodin Square (Lammual) and Khatla in Aizawl.

It also has a DIG residence in Tuikhuahtlang area, a commandant bungalow and a church at Tuikual near Zodin, besides plots of land and a war memorial.

The paramilitary force has retained its 23 sector headquarters, Mizoram range, in Khatla and the DIG residence, the officials said.