By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 27: Tension at Lapangap continues to simmer despite ongoing talks between Meghalaya and Assam over the disputed area, with indications that the understanding at the Chief Ministers’ level has yet to reflect on the ground amid concerns over the role of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council in the stand-off.
Briefing reporters on Wednesday, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said he has been in constant touch with his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma and is coordinating with the Karbi Anglong administration, MLAs, and district authorities, as both states attempt to defuse the situation in Lapangap. Sangma said he had spoken with the Assam Chief Minister earlier in the day regarding the issue, and both sides are trying to work out a meeting before May 30, though official engagements could delay the talks by about a week or 10 days.
Locals are concerned that despite repeated engagements between the two state governments, the situation on the ground remains tense. The villagers of West Jaintia Hills have allegedly been facing obstructions in the disputed area during cultivation and harvesting.
Replying to questions on whether discussions between the two Chief Ministers were effectively percolating down to the Karbi Anglong authorities, Sangma acknowledged that the issue remained “complex” and involved several unresolved local-level matters.
He disclosed that during his recent stay in the Garo Hills, when the situation in Lapangap had become particularly tense, he remained in continuous touch with the Superintendent of Police and district administration in West Jaintia Hills while simultaneously coordinating with the Karbi Anglong CEM, the local MLA, and Assam government officials.
Sangma said he had spoken with various stakeholders “15 to 20 times” over several days to prevent the situation from escalating further.
While maintaining that the Karbi Anglong authorities were cooperating, the Chief Minister admitted that certain local issues still needed to be “ironed out”. He declined to elaborate.
He said coordination between the two governments has been intense behind the scenes over the past 10 days and hoped that the issue would eventually be resolved through dialogue.
Residents of Lapangap, backed by the Khasi Students’ Union and several Jaintia Hills-based organisations, recently marched to the Secretariat in Shillong to protest the continued restrictions on farming activities in the area.
The villagers demanded the relocation of an Assam Police camp from Lum Pynthor and the deployment of permanent Meghalaya security personnel to safeguard their agricultural rights.
The residents also objected to the “GPS boundary line” reflected on digital platforms such as Google Maps, alleging that such demarcations were being used to justify encroachment into Sixth Schedule areas.
The situation in Lapangap has remained tense since 2023, with villagers alleging repeated obstruction of cultivation and harvesting activities by Karbi groups, allegedly backed by Assam Police personnel.
