JOWAI: The Lapangap Khanduli Border Area Joint Action Committee (LKBA-JAC) has urged state government and West Jaintia Hills Deputy Commissioner to immediately bring to halt a road construction carried out by Assam PWD.
In a memorandum to West Jaintia Hills Deputy Commissioner, the LKBA-JAC alleged that on Wednesday last, workers from Assam PWD came to construct the road in Tahpat, Lakheroi and Lapangap which will connect Khanduli.
It was following this, the villagers of Lapangap demurred the move and managed to chase away the workers.
The leader of the LKBA-JAC alleged that the Assam government has been trying to construct the road since 2019.
“We know for sure that the Assam will not stop and we come to submit our memo to the West Jaintia Hills Deputy Commissioner and our demand is to make stop the construction work immediately,” LKBA-JAC chairman, Pyrkhat Pyrphet, said. “The road construction is a tactic played by the Assam Government to claim our land and our village,” he added.
Meanwhile, the DC, while speaking to media persons, informed that the road construction was already inspected in 2019, adding that the matter has been resolved with the neighbouring state.
“The border magistrate had also asked the villagers to come forward along with their land documents so as to prove if their land has been affected due to the construction of the roads. However, none turned up,” the DC said.