From Our Correspondent
KARUKOL (SGH), Oct 25: The Garo Students’ Union (GSU), Karukol Regional Unit, has raised concerns with the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) over the large presence of non-tribal vendors from Assam operating in various weekly markets across South Garo Hills (SGH).
The issue came to light after the GSU conducted a surprise inspection on October 23 at the weekly bazaar in Balkal, under the Karukol area, and found that almost all the vendors were operating without valid Trading Licences for Non-Tribals (TNT).
The GSU alleged that similar vendors could also be seen in nearby markets, including Nengkong and Emangre.
“It is essential and mandatory to procure TNT from the GHADC by non-tribals for trading in Garo Hills. These vendors come from remote areas of Assam to capture the business flow in these weekly markets. Are the GHADC blind to this, or is there a loophole in the system? It is really a sad state of affairs that such loopholes are being exploited by those that are coming from outside and taking advantage of the system,” said GSU general secretary, Francis Marak. Marak further stated that it was unfortunate that even Garos have to pay professional taxes while those operating from outside the state pay nothing.
In this regard, the GSU has urged the GHADC to take prompt action on the matter to prevent further violations.
