Shillong: Meghalaya officials are stuck waiting on Assam to restart border negotiations. Three years after talks hit a wall, the push to settle six disputed areas remains on ice. Shillong has already refreshed its three regional committees to handle the work, but Dispur has yet to signal its participation.
Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar confirmed the silence on Monday. This delay kills the 45-day deadline Meghalaya set for its own committees to file final reports. The panels cannot start joint inspections or talk to villagers until Assam puts its team on the field.
Dhar promised the work will pick up where previous teams left off rather than starting over. The mission involves checking village claims, matching records, and mapping public assets. Residents caught in this jurisdictional gap have waited for years for a fix.
“It will be a continuity of the exercise done by the previous regional committees,” Dhar said. He noted that officials will address the long-standing land claims in Block I during future sessions.
Tensions often flare in flashpoints like Lapangap. For now, the region remains quiet as farmers continue their work. Dhar admitted the path forward is grueling. “The issue is complicated and difficult but not impossible,” he said. The state must move fast to keep the process alive.
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