SHILLONG: The situation along the interstate border remains tense and uncertain for the residents of Lapangap village, following an inconclusive joint meeting held today between the borders villages of Tapat and Lapangap.
Despite yet another peace meeting being convened, no concrete resolution or consensus could be reached regarding the ongoing border dispute.
According to the Waheh Shnong (village headman) of Lapangap, Deibormi Lyngdoh, representatives from the Karbi community proposed during the discussion that local Khasi farmers would only be permitted to cultivate their paddy fields if they allowed the Karbis free rein over the contested hilltops.
Lyngdoh strongly condemned the actions of the Karbi Anglong authorities, stating that this is a deliberate plot designed not only to harass the farmers of Lapangap but also a larger grand design to encroach upon borders and claim ancestral lands.
He pointed out that these are territories where farmers from Meghalaya have been cultivating and ensuring food security for centuries.
The escalating crisis has also sparked widespread criticism against the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) for its perceived apathy and failure to act decisively on the matter.
Locals said this stands in stark contrast to the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC), which has been highly proactive, aggressive, and deliberate in implementing development schemes in the border areas to strengthen its territorial claims.
The Lapangap headman lamented that while the KAAC from the Assam side is aggressively pushing developmental works along the border, the JHADC has turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the plight, cries, and suffering of the residents of Lapangap, who fall directly under its jurisdiction.
Expressing deep concern over the prevailing atmosphere, Deibormi Lyngdoh stated that the situation remains highly volatile and fearful, preventing residents from returning to their agricultural fields. He directly blamed the KAAC for instigating trouble and chaos in the border region by strategically allocating government schemes to Assam residents living along the border, while the District Council in Meghalaya remains completely silent, showing a total lack of authority or willingness to protect its own people.
He further noted that while the state government has attempted to broker peace through district-level talks, the KAAC holds a dominant position because its administrative machinery is highly empowered and focused on territorial expansion. On the other hand, the District Councils in Meghalaya appear completely powerless, failing to even officially voice their grievances or register a strong protest on the matter.
In response to the current security threat, the Meghalaya government has deployed SF-10 police personnel to provide security and restore confidence among the residents of Lapangap. However, despite the presence of security forces, the villagers are still unable to resume their farming activities.
Numerous peace meetings have been held between the two states to restore normalcy and ensure a safe environment for agriculture, but these efforts have consistently failed.
This ongoing deadlock has left the residents of Lapangap in a state of constant anxiety and fear, especially as the agricultural season is drawing to a close and they have been completely blocked from cultivating their lands as they traditionally do every year.
