Govt told to do away with ‘illegal’ check gates
SHILLONG, Feb 20: Farmers in Mukroh, a village in West jaintia Hills district which once made the news following the sensational shooting incident, are plagued by ‘illegal’ tax collection at check gates allegedly set up by Assam government.
Raising this matter on the floor of the House on Tuesday, UDP MLA from Moowkaiaw, Nurjorki Sungoh asked the Meghalaya government to do away with all the check gates set up by Assam government in Mukroh.
According to Sungoh, the Forest department’s check gate being located a few kilometres away from Mukroh is also one of the reasons that led to the Mukroh shooting incident in 2022.
Participating in a motion on the problems faced by the people along the interstate border, the Moowkaiaw MLA said the state government is trying to usher in development but the illegal collection of money by Assam government officials and their district council officials is a problem faced by the residents of Mukroh village.
Reminding that a year has passed since the Mukroh firing incident, he told the House that a new check gate has been set up in front of the Forest check gate to tax the villagers who carry their agricultural produce. No vehicle passing through this road is spared, he said.
He pointed out that the paddy fields of the farmers are located beyond the check gates, and they move to and fro for livelihood, which burns holes in their pockets due to the presence of the check gates.
Asserting that there is no way to avoid the check gates, Nurjorki requested the Meghalaya government to ensure that check gates are not allowed to be set up.
Lamenting the poor infrastructure in Mukroh, he said the border village does not have a single secondary school which leads to increasing dropouts as many cannot afford to send their children outside.
The Moowkaiaw MLA has sought additional financial assistance for families of the victims of Mukroh firing incident, arguing that single mother are now taking care of four to five children.
He also pointed out that there are a few more localities in Mukroh that need to be connected by road.