Centre waives Rs 5.23 crore depreciated cost for Assam Rifles buildings vacated in Mizoram

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

The chief minister said he had written to Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai in May last year, requesting a waiver of the amount. Depreciated cost refers to the reduced value of buildings and infrastructure after accounting for wear and tear over time.

In a post on social media, Lalduhoma said the Union minister, in his reply, informed him that the Mizoram government would not be required to pay the depreciated cost. He described the decision as a matter of happiness for the state, noting that the Centre had accepted Mizoram’s request.

As per the Memorandum of Agreement signed between the Mizoram government and the Assam Rifles for the relocation of the paramilitary force’s bases from Aizawl, the state was initially required to pay Rs 5.23 crore for the buildings and other infrastructure vacated by the force.

The relocation of the Assam Rifles bases was formally marked in March last year when Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended a function in Aizawl. The bases were shifted to a designated camp at Zokhawsang, around 15 km east of the state capital. Officials said the phase-wise relocation began in April 2025.

The demand for shifting the Assam Rifles installations from the city came in view of Aizawl’s difficult topography and increasing congestion. The Assam Rifles had major bases at Zodin Square (Lammual) and Khatla in Aizawl, besides a DIG residence at Tuikhuahtlang, a commandant’s bungalow and a church at Tuikual near Zodin, along with plots of land and a war memorial.

Officials said the paramilitary force has, however, retained its 23 Sector Headquarters, Mizoram Range, at Khatla, along with the DIG residence.