NEW DELHI, March 27: Shillong MP Vincent H Pala on Monday sought the personal intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for opening Land Custom Station at Kuliang through Lukha river to facilitate import and export of goods and services, which are the main sources of living of the surrounding villages.
“People from Meghalaya mainly earn their living by indulging in mining activities and export of coal and limestone to feed thousands of people, in the hill state in the absence of any other major farming or industry in the state,” Pala said in a letter to the prime Minister.
Kuliang in Jaintia Hills is the most suitable place to open a land customs station immediately and the river can be best used to export limestone and coal, including other items between India and Bangladesh, he pointed out.
Pala also demanded the opening of the trade routes through Balat (Meghalaya) and Dalura (Bangladesh) between the two neighbouring countries for export and import of boulders and limestone. Absence of any trade route in these areas has badly affected the economic condition of the locals in both the countries in particular and the revenue generation in general, he said in a separate letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
In spite of the official initiatives, bilateral trade could not start due to the non-existence of the land port, Pala said.
Pala also demanded the widening and improvement of the NH-6 portion from Jowai to Ratacherra by making four lanes as done between Guwahati and Shillong. Due to the rapid increase in traffic flow on NH-6, travelling has become a nightmare as every day there are heavy traffic jams between Khliehriat and Ratacherra, he said.
“NH-6 is the backbone for the development of Meghalaya, Barak Valley in Assam, Tripura, and Mizoram. Therefore, immediate action should be taken without further delay,” he added.
