TURA: Assam based transporters have decided to stage a dharna at Goalpara town on Monday, demanding the Meghalaya government to lift all entry curbs into Garo Hills.
Assam based transporters, mainly commercial vehicle owners, have been peeved with the checking and restrictions put in place at the entry point to Garo Hills, in Bajengdoba’s Berubari point of north Garo Hills district, and want the restrictions to be lifted.
However, the administration in Garo Hills has indicated that the demand by Assam based transporters to lift all entry curbs into Garo Hills is not a feasible idea in this critical time of the COVID-19 pandemic which has witnessed rising number of infections and even death.
Their grouse is that while movement from the Garo Hills region into Assam is unrestricted the same is not followed when it comes to entry into the region.
Having submitted two memorandums to the Meghalaya government, this week, the transporter’s body is staging a dharna at Goalpara town on Monday demanding the lifting of restrictions.
“It is mainly the transporters from Goalpara district that ply commercial vehicles to the Garo Hills who want the lifting of all restrictions which is just not possible. They say there are no restrictions on entry to Assam so why Meghalaya has. But we have put COVID restrictions for everyone. Both Assam as well as citizens from Meghalaya who enter from Assam has to follow guidelines. It is a uniform approach. Assam may not have a quarantine process but here in our state we follow and implement for everyone,” clarified West Garo Hills deputy commissioner Ram Singh while speaking to The Shillong Times on Sunday.
He further informed that the Meghalaya Chief Secretary has been briefed about the issue.
The deputy commissioner of North Garo Hills district, R P Marak, told that two separate memorandums have been submitted to his office by the Assam based organisations which have since been forwarded to the government.
The North Garo Hills district shares a long porous border with Assam and is the entry point to the region.
Prior to the pandemic taking place, on any given day, dozens of mini trucks, wingers, sumos and other commercial vehicles from Goalpara district would ply into the region. Ferrying in groceries and other essential items and a large chunk of travellers, it had been a booming business for the transport operators until the pandemic arrived.
Many of the affected transporters had purchased their vehicles through bank loans and the pandemic restrictions had put paid to their economy. Seeing the booming business in transport taking off in their own state of Assam, these traders want a similar lifting in Meghalaya which is the lifeline for many of these transporters from the neighbouring state.
