By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 29: The chief ministers of Meghalaya and Assam will hold discussions on Saturday at the State Guest House, Khanapara as part of the interstate boundary dispute-solving process.
During the meeting, the deputy commissioners of the border districts involved will submit their report on the clash in Lapangap village of West Jaintia Hills.
“The issue of Lapangap will be taken up during the border talks tomorrow (Saturday). As of now, things are under control and there is no fighting,” Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar said on Friday.
Asserting that adequate measures have been undertaken from both sides to keep things under control, he said the place has a good police presence and additional forces would be deployed if required.
Dhar said both sides would decide on Saturday what actions are to be initiated to ensure such conflicts do not recur as Lapangap is not a disputed area in the first place.
“We will be receiving the reports from the two DCs. We want peace to be maintained by any means,” he said, adding that efforts are being made to resolve the issue amicably.
On the state police having been criticised for not doing much earlier, the deputy CM said: “They were not helpless. They have to work according to the situation. They know better than us and that is why the situation is under control.”
At the root of the cross-border skirmish that fuelled tension for two days in Lapangap is said to be the “planting of the right saplings at the wrong place”.
The district authorities of Meghalaya’s West Jaintia Hills and Assam’s West Karbi Anglong had mutually decided to uproot the saplings from an “area of contention” and replant them elsewhere. This decision during a meeting on Thursday seemed to have cooled tempers.
The meeting was attended by West Karbi Anglong Deputy Commissioner Krishna Baruah and Superintendent of Police I. Barua, West Jaintia Hills Deputy Commissioner BS Sohliya, Superintendent of Police C Syrti, JHADC member, A Sadap, and Lapangap Wahen Shnong (headman) D Lyngdoh.
Harvesting under
police watch today
Three families from Lapangap will travel to Nongjrong on Saturday under full police protection from both sides and under the watch of the district magistrates to carry out the first round of harvesting.
As agreed upon by both Meghalaya and Assam, the district magistrate from Meghalaya along with Assam police and officials of the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority went to the plantation area and removed some saplings on Friday.
Prior to that, the Lapangap Dorbar convened a meeting wherein some persons opposed the idea of removing the saplings planted earlier, saying that the land belongs to Lapangap.
It was reported that the Waheh Shnong claimed that the Dorbar Shnong decided to not allow the district administration to uproot the saplings claiming that the farmland falls under the jurisdiction of Lapangap.