Meghalaya govt sets up additional police outpost bordering Assam

Shillong, Jul 2: The Meghalaya government has decided to strengthen its police force by setting up two additional police outposts in West Khasi Hills bordering Assam's Kamrup district.

''The two additional outposts have been established to check criminal activities and movement of militants from the neighbouring state,'' Inspector General of Police B L Buam told reporters.

''The two additional outposts have been set up in Lejadubi and Ktiehthawiar, one km away from Langja in West Khasi Hills district,'' he said.

Mr Buam, however, said Meghalaya was yet to set up a police outpost in disputed Langpih.

''We don't have a police outpost yet in Langpih,'' he said.

Assam police has an outpost in the disputed area manned by its fourth battalion.

Meanwhile, state Chief Secretary Ranjan Chatterjee said the Meghalaya government was studying the minutes of the meeting held between the Chief Ministers of both the states on June 11 at Dispur.

''I had an informal discussion with my Assam counterpart.

We are in the process of studying the minutes of the meeting held between the two Chief Ministers,'' Mr Chatterjee said.

The Meghalaya government claimed that the Assam government had encroached upon Langpih. Besides Langpih, Meghalaya has 12 areas of difference with Assam.

Langpih village, bordering Kamrup district of Assam was in the limelight in the recent weeks, since Assam Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma laid the foundation stone of a Health Sub-Centre, Inspection Bungalow and residential quarters for Forest Guards on May 31.

Both Assam and Meghalaya claimed that Langpih belonged to them and have documents to ascertain it.

Last month, Meghalaya and Assam buried all their differences over the border dispute and formed a coordination committee in a bid to resolve the problem in a phased manner.

The Chief Secretary said a formal meeting to iron out differences on contentious boundary issues between the two states would be held after the minutes were signed.

The decision to have such an interaction was taken during the June 11 meeting when a co-ordination committee was set up to settle boundary dispute between the two states.

The committee would submit its report latest by January next year.

Meghalaya and Assam has 14 areas of boundary dispute, apart from Langpih.

UNI