Shillong, June 27: The Meghalaya government on Friday announced that a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Assam on the boundary issue will be signed by August 15, and five villages under the Ri-Bhoi region will be returned to the state.
“I will remind you that before August 15, we will formally sign an MoU with the Assam government whereby five new villages will come back to us,” said MDA spokesperson and Cabinet Minister Paul Lyngdoh during a press briefing.
He confirmed that the five villages fall under the Ri-Bhoi district, marking a significant development in the ongoing efforts to resolve the long-pending inter-state boundary dispute.
Addressing concerns over recurring boundary skirmishes despite ongoing talks at various levels, Lyngdoh said, “We are getting closer towards a solution.”
Speaking on the sensitive Langpih area, for which he heads the regional committee, Lyngdoh stated that all groundwork has been completed. “All that is needed now is a joint visit with our Assam counterparts,” he said.
Responding to accusations that the state government has failed to protect residents of Lapangap from alleged encroachment and harassment by Assam officials, the minister strongly defended the government’s actions. “We would not have sent the police team or a magistrate to actually confront their counterparts from Assam if we were doing nothing. So, it’s unfair to say that the government has done little,” he said.
 with Assam on the boundary issue will be signed by August 15, and five villages under the Ri-Bhoi region will be returned to the state.){kind=link}