JOWAI, July 17: The Hynniewtrep Integrated Territorial Organisation (HITO) on Thursday called for a public clarification regarding a statement issued by the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) concerning the existence of weighbridge-cum-forest checkpoints in East Jaintia Hills and the appointment of one Sevenborn Tang as a private agent.
HITO central body general secretary, Wanbun N Dkhar, accompanied by Lawyerson War, expressed surprise over the presence of toll collection points such as the Sonapur Weighbridge-Cum-Forest Checkpoint and the Ratacherra Forest Beat Office.
According to them, while the JHADC denied the existence of such weighbridges in its clarification, official documents, including the Revised Estimates and Budget for 2025-2026, clearly mention three weighbridges, namely Mookyndur Weighbridge, Sonapur Weighbridge and Dawki Weighbridge.
Furthermore, the organisation questioned the JHADC’s decision to appoint Sevenborn Tang as an agent to manage and operate all forest revenue stations of the JHADC.
They argued that although the Council claimed that revenue collection under private management had increased, the figures tell a different story.
As per the 2024-2025 budget, the JHADC earned Rs 11.5 lakh from the weighbridge cum-forest checkpoints. However, under the 2025-2026 budget, after outsourcing operations to a private individual, the revenue dropped to Rs 5 lakh.
“How can Rs 5 lakh be considered an improvement over Rs 11.5 lakh,” questioned the organisation, accusing the JHADC of mismanagement and alleging that the move may be aimed at siphoning public funds.
The HITO has demanded the immediate shutdown of the two weighbridge cum-forest checkpoints in East Jaiñtia Hills, as the Council officially claims they do not exist despite documentary evidence to the contrary.
The organisation further cited the Control of National Highway (Land & Traffic) Act, 2022, which mandates that no structure can be erected along national highways without prior permission from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
