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Villagers successful Assam and Meghalaya resumed their farming activities successful a disputed borderline country connected Wednesday (June 3, 2026), ending weeks of intermittent conflict.
The resumption followed a look worked retired by representatives of the 2 State governments, who met successful the disputed Tapat-Lapangap assemblage connected Tuesday (June 2, 2026) day and brokered bid betwixt residents connected either broadside of the unclear inter-State border.
Tapat is successful Assam’s West Karbi Anglong district, and Lapangap is successful Meghalaya’s West Jaintia Hills district.
“Our radical person started enactment connected the disputed fields contiguous [Wednesday]. It is simply a immense alleviation for locals heavy babelike connected farming,” Melin Dkhar, a nonmigratory of Lapangap, told The Hindu.
“We could not cultivate during the outpouring season. We anticipation to marque the astir of this model of opportunity,” Ms. Dkhar said.
According to the agreement, the Karbi assemblage farmers of Assam would cultivate and thin to their crops successful fields claimed by Meghalaya for 1 cultivation season. In exchange, Meghalaya’s Khasi-Pnar assemblage farmers would cultivate successful the fields claimed by Assam.
“This is simply a impermanent arrangement, but we anticipation the tone of practice displayed during yesterday’s gathering would assistance fortify relations betwixt the neighbouring communities and lend towards a lasting solution of border-related issues,” Deimonmi Lyngdoh, the caput of Lapangap’s accepted community-based organisation, said.
Assam and Meghalaya person had 12 disputed sectors on their 855-km borderline since 1972, erstwhile Meghalaya was carved retired of Assam arsenic a full-fledged State. After a bid of high-level meetings, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Meghalaya counterpart, Conrad K. Sangma, signed an statement successful March 2022 to resoluteness the quality across six sectors.
Tapat-Lapangap is 1 of the remaining six sectors that await resolution.
The quality successful this assemblage turned disfigured successful October 2025 erstwhile a 45-year-old Karbi antheral was killed erstwhile the villagers clashed implicit paddy harvesting, attacking each different with stones and catapults. Farming resumed a period later, but a bid of insignificant incidents led to a stand-off successful March-April.
Tuliram Ronghang, the main of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, led the Assam team, portion Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar led the Meghalaya delegation during Tuesday’s (June 2, 2026) meeting.
