SHILLONG: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma held a high-level meeting with his Assam counterpart, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, in Guwahati today to deliberate upon the ongoing grievances and disruptions faced by residents along the inter-state border.
The discussions centred primarily around the situation in Lapangap village, which shares a boundary with Assam, and aimed at identifying mechanisms to maintain law and order while restoring peace and tranquility in these areas.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of significant hardships endured by the residents of Lapangap over the past few days. Local villagers have faced severe disruptions from the Karbi community, which has effectively prevented local farmers from accessing their agricultural fields for cultivation.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma informed that he was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar to specifically address the acute challenges confronting the people of Lapangap. He clarified that the Meghalaya government has been proactively striving to restore peace in the area for several weeks by bringing relevant stakeholders together for dialogue.
Today’s meeting saw the participation of senior government and district-level officials from both Assam and Meghalaya.
The delegates held exhaustive discussions to chalk out concrete, long-term measures to eliminate these recurring issues, with administrative officials entrusted to meticulously execute the finalized action plans.
The Chief Minister made a strong appeal to government officials, local residents, and all involved stakeholders to foster robust cooperation and coordination among themselves to ensure sustainable peace and resolve the ongoing dispute once and for all.
Regarding the comprehensive boundary settlement process between the two states, Conrad K Sangma announced that the next round of ministerial-level talks will resume soon. He noted that the joint discussions will commence once the newly elected Assam Government constitutes its cabinet and its ministers take their oaths of office.
He reiterated that today’s high-level meet was explicitly focused on resolving the Lapangap crisis. The state government remains highly optimistic about bringing a swift resolution to the issue, banking on a collaborative approach and goodwill from all participating factions.
