Guwahati: The Meghalaya government has appealed to various pressure groups to collaborate in resolving long-standing and sensitive issues like the interstate border tensions with Assam.
This follows a recent skirmish where residents from Assam’s Karbi Anglong allegedly planted trees in a disputed area of Lapalang village, West Jaintia Hills, leading to a tense stand-off.
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The incident saw local villagers uprooting saplings and dismantling temporary structures, prompting Assam Police to reportedly use tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd on the Meghalaya side.
Amid criticism from certain civil society organizations regarding its handling of the situation, the MDA government defended its actions.
Meghalaya Tourism Minister and MDA spokesperson, Paul Lyngdoh, stated, “The state government will now move forward and try to resolve this matter. Already, both the Deputy Chief Ministers in charge of Home and Urban Affairs are in the loop, contrary to the claims made by an NGO, government officials, magistrates, and Meghalaya Police personnel present there helped defuse the situation and prevent any possible attacks on Meghalaya. We stand committed to the security of our people.”
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Lyngdoh cited that politicizing the border dispute or using it to target the elected government only undermines the state’s broader integrity.
In a direct message to civil society, he added, “We are a small state that has had this problem for decades. Instead of attacking your government, try to work together and find a point of synergy, of convergence, because in a crucial issue like border dispute, you can’t have your pressure groups attacking the government.”
Meanwhile, Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong acknowledged that the incident was a “slight mistake” on Assam’s part for not informing Meghalaya about the plantation drive in the disputed area.
He confirmed that the situation in Lapalang is now calm following Wednesday’s skirmish. Authorities have instructed the West Jaintia Hills district administration to remain vigilant and maintain communication with its Assam counterpart.
According to Tynsong, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by both states mandates mutual notification before undertaking any development activity, plantation, or construction in areas of difference.
He attributed the Lapalang incident to a lack of communication between the district administrations of West Jaintia Hills and Karbi Anglong.
While admitting that Lapalang village falls within an “area of difference,” Tynsong added that the Meghalaya government would formally protest the incident to Assam, and the Meghalaya Chief Minister has already discussed the matter with his Assam counterpart.