HT Digital
SHILLONG, JUNE 27: The government of Meghalaya has called for civil society organizations and pressure groups to come together to settle sensitive and age-old matters such as the border dispute with Assam. The call follows a recent incident at Lapalang village, West Jaintia Hills, where people from Assam’s Karbi Anglong district allegedly planted trees in a disputed region, leading to a confrontation.
The tension heighten when the local villagers dug up the saplings and demolished temporary sheds, prompting Assam Police to reportedly use tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the Meghalaya side crowd.
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In the face of its criticism for mishandling the event, the MDA government justified its course of action. Meghalaya Tourism Minister and government spokesperson Paul Lyngdoh pointed out that the officials, magistrates, and police officials were on hand to avoid further commotion and maintain public safety. He denied accusations by some NGOs of government lethargy, claiming that both Deputy Chief Ministers in charge of Home and Urban Affairs had been kept updated. Emphasizing the call for unity, Lyngdoh urged civil society not to politicize the matter, declaring that cooperation, and not confrontation, was essential in the settling of such longstanding conflicts.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong admitted that Assam has committed a “slight mistake” by failing to inform Meghalaya of the plantation drive in the disputed area, as is mandatory under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) entered between the two states. According to the MoU, prior notification is compulsory before undertaking any development, plantation, or construction work in disputed areas.
Tynsong stated that the situation in Lapalang has since returned to normal and the administration of the West Jaintia Hills has been instructed to remain vigilant and have close coordination with its counterpart in Karbi Anglong. He affirmed that the Meghalaya Chief Minister had already broached the issue with the Assam Chief Minister and that the state would submit a formal protest in order to avoid such occurrences in the future.
