Guwahati, Nov. 27: “Come prepared” seemed to be the implicit directive of the Supreme Court-constituted local commission to Assam and Arunachal Pradesh after its first sitting on boundary disputes.

Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have been told to bring their own maps indicating the encroachment into their respective areas the next time they make their submission before the panel. The commission was set up by the apex court in September to identify the boundary of the two states and Nagaland within a year.

The panel has also directed the Archaeological Survey of India to produce a detailed map indicating the difference between the constitutional boundary and the boundary demarcated by the tripartite committee comprising officials of the Centre and the two states in 1980.

The panel will meet again on January 16, 17 and 18 in Guwahati.

The other decision taken by the panel, headed by Justice (retd) S.N. Variava of the Supreme Court, was to have the maps exchanged between the two states and the Archaeological Survey of India a week before the next sitting in January, so that all sides came prepared before the commission. The other members of the panel are S.P. Goel and Kamal Naidu.

Confirming the development, the counsel for Arunachal Pradesh, Anil Shrivastav, said he was hopeful of a solution to the boundary problem between the two states.

The host state was represented by additional chief secretary N.K. Das and director, border, H. Mahanta, besides Assam’s standing counsel.

The panel, which tried to get acquainted with the problems of the states at its first sitting at the circuit house here today, has decided to hold a three-day discussion on the Assam-Nagaland problem from January 8 at Dimapur. No discussions were held today as the counsel for Nagaland was absent. The commission was scheduled to hold its first sitting over three days, but the proceedings got over on the first day.