NONGSTOIN: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) Lyngngam Hynneng Brei Area Unit and Nongtre Lyngngam Achick Youth Federation (NLAYF) Maweit Circle assisted by four Police personnel on Wednesday inspected Shallang Market in West Khasi Hills District to check documents of non-tribals residing there and issued a fresh 15-day quit notice to those who did not possess valid papers.
The inspection came after the KSU and NLAYF had earlier issued a 10-day deadline to all the non-tribal businessmen in Shallang to have in their possession trading license and valid papers to establish their identity or quit the area.
When the KSU and NLAYF members attempted to check the papers of the non-tribals, some village head of Shallang area intervened and halted the inspection.
However, the student union leaders forcefully carried out their checking in Shallang market and found that only 2 per cent of the traders and labourers has valid document, 40 per cent of them said their documents were under process while 58 per cent of the rest did not possess any papers (trading or labour license).
The union members, later, warned local people of Shallang to refrain from employing non-tribals who did not possess proper documents.
The members expressed concern that non-tribals working at Shallang had no papers but had established businesses at Shallang. “Such activities of the non-tribals were detrimental to the economy of the indigenous people of the area and should be immediately checked,” they said.
Both the organisations have instructed all the non-tribals to obtain proper licenses within 15 days or leave Shallang for good.