By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 16: Labelling the interstate border pact as mere “lip service,” the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has warned that bypassing traditional heads and Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) has turned a diplomatic “solution” into a recipe for further conflict in disputed blocks like Lapangap.
MPCC president Vincent H Pala asserted that the border issue cannot be resolved through agreements signed exclusively between the two state governments. He insisted that local stakeholders—specifically the Rangbah Shnongs, Dolois, ADCs, and the residents of affected villages—must be central to the negotiation process.
The remarks follow renewed tensions along the interstate boundary. Residents of Lapangap in West Jaintia Hills recently travelled to Shillong to protest alleged harassment by members of the Karbi community from Assam, highlighting the volatility of the situation on the ground.
Pala warned that decisions taken by the two Chief Ministers without involving the people actually living in the trenches could exacerbate tensions rather than provide a permanent solution. “Many people residing in the border areas do not accept the terms of the agreement,” he claimed, adding that the government is misleading the public by projecting progress while ignoring local anxieties.
Referring to the first phase of the border pact, the Congress leader levelled a serious allegation, claiming some settlements were influenced by “personal land interests.” Pala argued that resolving individual land disputes is not a substitute for a comprehensive interstate boundary settlement and fails to address the broader issues of land and identity.
