It was, therefore, logical for the concerned authorities to attempt to amalgamate the three administrative units into one. The Calcutta conference of 1892, which came to be known as the “Chin-Lushai Conference,” was held specifically for this purpose. At its final sitting on January 19, 1892, it passed a resolution, part of which stated:
Resolution No. 1: “The majority of the conference are of the opinion that it is very desirable that the whole tract of country known as the Chin-Lushai Hills (Zogam) should be brought under one administrative head as soon as this can be done…” (for full text please go to Documents)
As a first step towards implementing the resolution, the North and South Lushai Hills were amalgamated on April 1, 1898 through a proclamation of the Government of India. However, the other resolution about joining the Zomi inhabited areas of India and Burma was not implemented even though there are no substantive arguments against its implementation. The proposal was not forgotten, however. As late as 1941 Sir Robert Reid, Governor of Assam, in a confidential note about future arrangements advocated the setting up of a Hill Province that would include all the areas inhabited by the Mongoloid hill tribal in the region. He wrote thus:
“The separation of Burma from India on lines of the present frontiers will permanently divorce portions of tribes which naturally should comprise a single unit.”
He believed that it was the duty of the government to rectify this mistake because “rebellion, bloodshed and ultimate ruin” would be the consequence of its failure to do so.
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