Conrad meets Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma in Guwahati
Shillong, May 29: Immediate steps will be taken by Meghalaya and Assam governments to de-escalate the situation at Lapangap along the inter-state border, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said following a meeting with his after Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma in Guwahati on Friday.
Terming the meeting “very positive and very constructive”, the Chief Minister said the discussion focused on the flare-up at Lapangap where tension prevailed on both sides of the border for the past several weeks.
“Along with Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar, we met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in his office chamber in Guwahati,” Sangma said.
“The main purpose of our visit was to discuss the ongoing situation in Lapangap that is happening right now along the Assam-Meghalaya border.”
He added that efforts to engage stakeholders had been on for weeks.
“For the past many days, and in fact weeks, we have been trying to bring the different stakeholders together to resolve the issue and to find a way forward,” he said.
Officials from both state governments, including district-level officers, attended the meeting.
“We have worked out some measures which could help us defuse the situation and our officials concerned will be taking steps in the next few days to try and resolve the issue,” Sangma said.
He urged cooperation from residents and officials on both sides of the border.
“We should work in a positive manner and we should work in a constructive manner and trust each other and work in such a manner that we can find not the solution for short-term but also in the long run,” he said.
On the wider border dispute, Sangma said further talks would wait until Assam’s cabinet formation is complete.
“We have also decided that once the Assam government is fully in place in terms of all the different cabinet ministers. Once the oath is taken place, further discussion on the larger context of the border issue will take place then,” he said.
“Today’s meeting was limited to the Lapangap issue and we are very hopeful that we are able to resolve the situation,” Sangma said, seeking cooperation from all stakeholders.
Metbah lauds CM’s initiative
Reacting to the Chief Minister-level discussion on Lapangap, cabinet minister and UDP chief Metbah Lyngdoh on Friday said, “As I was informed that today the Chief Minister has taken the steps to initiate discussions with the chief minister of Assam.”
Admitting that the border dispute is affecting local residents, he underlined the government’s role, saying, “The government as a whole has been taking a lot of initiatives with regard to resolving the issues of the people in the border.”
He also underlined the government steps to ensure safety of the border residents and security from alleged harassment in those areas.
Referring to his discussion with the Chief Minister on the issue, Lyngdoh said, “Yes, I have discussed with him also day before yesterday.”
He appreciated the Chief Minister for holding the discussion with the Chief Minister, saying, “That is the good part of the Chief Minister that he himself has taken those steps.”
