Govt to take action against highway extortion

SHILLONG: The District Magistrate, East Jaintia Hills, has promulgated an order under Section 144 CrPC prohibiting extortion from commercial vehicles and trucks on the highway.
The order prohibits any person or group of persons obstructing any movement of trucks and commercial vehicles, illegal demanding of money, illegal collection of money, donation and others from commercial vehicles, truck drivers, commuters by any NGOs, pressure group and others.
The order also bans checking of documents of commercial vehicles by “NGOs, pressure groups, interested groups and other civil society organisations, assembly of persons or group of persons with the objective to obstruct free flow of commercial vehicles especially during the night for anti social activities and carrying of arms and other lethal weapons except by the security forces along the NH-6”.
The order was necessitated based on complaints from public passing through the Highway especially via Kongong, Wapung Shnong, Wapungskur, Mookhep, Lad Rymbai, Khliehriat area, Lumshnong and other areas and by the police reports that there are miscreants who claimed themselves to be NGOs and VDPs demanding and looting money from the commercial vehicles, truck drivers and commuters passing through NH-6 at night.