Shillong, Feb. 18: Hundreds of people from Langpih in West Khasi Hills district took out a procession from Motphran here to the secretariat today, urging the government to settle the Langpih border dispute at the earliest.

Later in the evening, a delegation, comprising members of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), the Federation of Khasi-Jaintia-Garo People (FKJGP), the Hynniewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF), the Synjuk Seng Samla Shnong (SSSS) and local people, met chief minister D.D. Lapang.

The delegates asked Lapang to open a Meghalaya police outpost in Langpih at the earliest to protect the residents, who are being harassed by Nepali residents and Assam police.

The Assam government had earlier objected to the Meghalaya government opening a police outpost at Langpih, which is still a disputed area. At present, only Assam has a police outpost there.

The delegates told Lapang that the Assam government was encouraging Nepalis settlers at Langpih.

KSU general secretary Hamlet Dohling said the government should take an initiative to develop roads, education facilities, electricity and healthcare in Langpih. Lapang assured the delegation that the government would soon set up an inter-state border development department.

In 2008, during the tenure of the NCP-UDP-led government, a committee of chief secretaries of Assam and Meghalaya was formed to solve the Langpih dispute.

When the Congress-led government came into power in the state last year, it constituted a ministerial-level special committee to discuss the dispute. The chairman of the special committee on the Meghalaya-Assam boundary dispute and senior minister Prestone Tynsong and Assam health and family welfare minister Himanta Biswa Sarma held two rounds of talks last year.

The delegates today asked the government to find an early solution to the dispute by holding regular meetings of the committee.