From Our Correspondent
NONGPOH, July 12: The Enforcement team of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) on Wednesday conducted surprise inspections of trading licences for various businesses operated by non-tribal individuals in Ri-Bhoi district’s Nongpoh.
Numerous business establishments, including those owned by non-tribal individuals, are present in this trade hub of the district.
Led by inspector V Bamon, the Enforcement team found non-tribal individuals were running shops without the necessary trading licences. Show-cause notices were served to them.
In the course of the inspections, the KHADC team observed that a few business establishments had already closed, presumably to avoid detection. Furthermore, some non-tribal-operated businesses had falsely shown them to be owned by local residents.
The Nongpoh circle of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) voiced its discontent with the surprise checking. The union said that its members were not informed despite filing a complaint letter and meeting with the relevant authorities.
The KSU registered its concerns regarding the proliferation of non-tribal-owned shops in Nongpoh on July 5. It submitted a complaint letter to Gigur Myrthong, the KHADC’s executive member in-charge of Trade and also met the Chief Executive Member, Pyniaid Sing Syiem to discuss the matter.
The licensing officer of KHADC subsequently issued an order on July 6, instructing the council’s Enforcement Wing to conduct checks on non-tribal traders both with and without licenses in Nongpoh area. John Lyngdoh, the president of KSU’s Nongpoh unit, said the members of the union had expected the Enforcement Wing to inform them about the operation but were disregarded.
He emphasized the union’s decision to address the issue through official channels.
“We saw the mushrooming of shops owned by non-tribals in the Nongpoh area and complained to the KHADC for checking of trading license as we do not want to take the law into our hands,” he said, criticising the Enforcement Wing for failing to communicate with the union regarding the surprise checking.
The union also said many non-tribals run shops in Nongpoh with no-objection certificates issued by the headman of the area concerned.
“We shall conduct our own checking of trading licences and labour licences in the days to come to prevent the proliferation of illegal shops owned by the non-tribals in Nongpoh,” Lyngdoh said.