NONGPOH: There seems to be no end to the agony of the people living in the disputed areas of Raid Nongtung (Block II) in Ri-Bhoi District. This time it is the people of Umsder village who have to bear the brunt as recently Assam Forest staff ordered the villagers to give them fifty per cent of their agriculture products and warned that the villagers not be allowed to harvest their produces if they did not pay the same.
The matter came to light after the Ri Bhoi Youth Federation (RBYF) central body handed a memorandum to Ri-Bhoi Deputy Commissioner Pooja Pandey informing her of the plight of farmers in Umsder village and urged her to intervene in the matter.
“Five people from Assam dressed in police uniform came to Umsder village under Umtngam Polling Station on January 13, 2015 and demanded the farmers of the village that they have to pay 50 per cent share on all agriculture products produced by them and at the same time they warned that if the farmers were not willing to pay what they had demanded they would not be permitted to harvest their crops,” the memo read, citing the incident.
The memo further stated that the local people had confirmed that the five people were from the Assam Forest Department and one of them was an officer with two stars in his shoulders.
The memo signed by RBYF president BP Thangkhiew stated that it was surprising that the incident had occurred despite the status quo resolution agreed upon by the two states on June 5, 2010.
The RBYF while expressing grave concern over the frequent atrocities meted on the people of the villages under Raid Nongtung (Block II) from Assam officials, condemned the Assam government for not paid due respect to the status quo agreement.
Meanwhile, responding to the memorandum, the Deputy Commissioner said, “I am waiting for the report from my counterpart in Hamren District of Karbi Anglong, Assam, and would act accordingly.”
