Entry point eludes Ratacherra

By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 29: The setting up of an Umling-type entry point at Ratacherra in East Jaintia Hills continues to hang fire.
However, the police from East Jaintia Hills said they have an entry gate where the details of people travelling through Meghalaya are recorded.
An official said not many people are visiting Meghalaya via Ratacherra during the pandemic. He said majority of the returnees are entering the state through Ri Bhoi.
The official also said that the police give slips to travellers using Meghalaya as a transit route and the data of such people is being maintained. He said on an average, 20 people, mostly truck drivers, enter the state through this route every day.
“We subject everyone, who enters and stays in Meghalaya, to a COVID test,” the official said.
Meghalaya is used as a transit route by people visiting other states of the Northeast such as Tripura, Mizoram and Assam.
The land acquired for setting up an entry point at Ratacherra has been handed over to the Tourism department and the construction work is likely to begin soon.
The entry point at Umling, set up last year, has helped the authorities keep tabs on people visiting the state.