TURA: A complaint has been made with the West Garo Hills district administration against businessmen from Assam for violating the ongoing lock down and curfew and visiting plantations in the plain belt to deal in the lucrative arecanut trade despite restrictions put in place against inter-state movement to check spread of the COVID-19 corona virus infection.
Lawyer and resident from Gimbil A’ding village under Phulbari, Zinbaward N Sangma, has written to deputy commissioner, Ram Singh mentioning about the violations which have been taking place leading to possible threat of infection among the population from these interactions.
According to Sangma, people from the plain belt areas of Phulbari, Chibinang and Rajabala have been continuing their business activities even during the lock down.
The modus operandi, according to him, is to dispatch their Mahindra pik up mini trucks, tempos and other transportation vehicles into the hill villages after midnight where the harvested sacks of arecanut are loaded up and transported out into neighbouring Assam before daybreak.
The trade has been flourishing because the local plantation owners have allegedly been encouraging the traders to come and lift their produce for a quick financial transition. A bag of freshly plucked arecanut goes for over two thousand rupees in the current market scenario.
“Some of these businessmen are even sleeping over and harvesting the arecanut in villages like Rabong Sangsilgre and other villages,” stated Sangma highlighting the danger of COVID-19 infections.
The traders are said to be coming from Salmara, Koilaghat, Kartmill, Rajpur (Wadagokgre), Gimaijhora, Babilgre, Rangmalgre, Bhaitbari and Takkima and taking advantage of the village roads that connect one area to another bypassing the main roads manned by police.
“We feel very unsafe with these people violating instructions of the government and health experts. These people being allowed to move without restriction will surely get us infected and we find no reason of quarantine and isolating ourselves,” a worried Zinbaward Sangma raised as he urged upon the authorities to strengthen and increase road check points, particularly on those areas that have inter-village road connections.