‘Area does not fall under disputed regions along inter-state border’
Shillong, Oct 10: The situation at Lapangap where one person from Assam was killed during a clash between border residents is under control and normalcy is expected to return in the next few days, Deputy Chief Minister and Chairman of Regional Committee for West Jaintia Hills, Sniawbhalang Dhar, told reporters on Friday.
“As of now, the situation is normal and under control, and hopefully, it will be okay in the next few days,” he said while informing that the regional committees are not planning to meet at this juncture.
Asserting that the clash did not occur due to the inter-state border dispute in the region, Dhar said it happened due to harvesting by local residents, which has never happened before.
Although some areas – Khanduli and Psiar – along the border are under dispute, Lapangap is not a disputed area, he said.
Regional committees of both states will decide on the status of the area.
Meanwhile, Dhar assured that Chief Ministers of both the states have spoken on the issue, and the regional committees will decide on the course of action to resolve the issue.
West Khasi Hills district administration has been instructed to coordinate with its Assam counterparts to prevent escalation of the situation.
The Deputy CM also mentioned that harvesting activities have been stopped for now, but efforts are being made to ensure that it resumes normally after discussions.
“We want to ensure that a few days after discussion, the harvesting should take place as usual,” he said.
“We are looking into this matter very closely to make sure the situation does not escalate further,” he added.
