GUWAHATI: The Goalpara district administration has invited aggrieved transporters, traders and other stakeholders in Goalpara town to a meeting on Tuesday over the standoff arising out of the COVID-19 restrictions put in place for vehicles from Assam at the entry point to Garo Hills.
Irked at the restrictions at the entry point in Bajengdoba’s Berubari point of North Garo Hills, a section of transporters and traders had even planned to stage a dharna in Goalpara town on Monday but subsequently decided against going ahead with the strike following the district administration’s assurance that the issue would be resolved soon.
“The Goalpara district administration had already sent memoranda to the North Garo Hills and West Garo Hills district administration in this regard and talks are going on at the government level of both the states as well. We are looking forward to an early resolution,” Goalpara additional deputy commissioner, Pranjal Choudhury told The Shillong Times on Monday.
“We have invited the transporters, traders and other stakeholders, who travel frequently to Garo Hills, for a meeting in this regard on Tuesday,” Choudhury said.
According to reports, the transporters (particularly those who ply commercial vehicles to Garo Hills) are demanding that the Meghalaya government lifts all entry restrictions to Garo Hills.
However, the administration in Garo Hills has indicated that the demand by the transporters to lift all entry curbs was not a feasible idea in the middle of a pandemic, with positive cases and deaths rising in Meghalaya.
According to sources, the aggrieved stakeholders in Goalpara maintain that while there are no such restrictions for vehicles/people entering Assam from Garo Hills, strict curbs were imposed on vehicles/people entering Garo Hills from Assam.
Meghalaya however claims to have adopted a uniform approach, having put in place COVID restrictions at both entry points for all vehicles entering the state, be it at Umling (in Ri Bhoi) or Bajengdoba.