Assam: Tensions in Upper Lampi over Assam-Meghalaya border dispute

A CORRESPONDENT

BOKO: Fresh tensions erupted in Upper Lampi, under Boko-Chaygaon co-district on Wednesday, after a group of Meghalaya supporters allegedly obstructed road repair work initiated by the Assam Government near the Assam-Meghalaya border.

According to reports, on Wednesday morning, labourers and materials had been brought to install a culvert to prevent damage to the only road connecting Boko to Upper Lampi. However, a section of Meghalaya supporters stopped the workers and sent them back. The 40-km stretch from Boko to the border was built by the Assam Government about five years ago, but local Khasi residents continue to claim the area as part of Meghalaya.

Labourer Gopal Sharma alleged that along with the Khasi group, Meghalaya police also obstructed the work. He further stated that a temporary bamboo hut built near the road had been dismantled by unknown persons.

The site lies barely one kilometre from the Assam police’s Upper Lampi border outpost, yet Khasi residents insist it falls within Meghalaya’s West Khasi Hills district. Following the incident, a team comprising Boko police, a magistrate, and officials from the Public Works Department (PWD) reached the spot. Meghalaya police, led by Sub-Inspector B Diengdoh, also arrived and engaged in heated exchanges with Assam officials, ordering them to leave. The magistrate was allegedly insulted during the altercation.

However, Magistrate Raben Deori later said the situation had been brought under control amicably and that discussions with higher authorities would be held to complete the repair work. PWD engineer Manik Dutta informed that the road from Kompadoli village to Upper Lampi, covering 23 km of hilly terrain, is being strengthened with guard walls, drains, and culverts under the State Disaster Response Fund.

Meanwhile, tensions continue to simmer in Lampi. Notably, in November 2021, the chief ministers of both states, Dr Himanta Bishwa Sarma and Conrad K Sangma, along with ministers and officials, met at Lower Lampi to address border disputes. Out of 12 identified disputed locations, six have been resolved, but issues, including Lampi, remain unsettled.

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