Normal life hit West Garo Hills in Meghalaya

Nongpoh (Meghalaya), Sep 23 : Normal life came to a halt in Nongpoh, the district headquarters of West Garo Hills in Meghalaya Thursday owing to a dusk- to-dawn bandh called by five social organisations.

The bandh was to mount pressure on the State government to construct the four lane Gauhati-Shillong road on the National Highway-40 through an identified Umsning by- pass. The social organisations have also called for a night road blockade tomorrow starting from 1900 hours to 0500 hours.

However, Public Work Department Minister H.D.R Lyngdoh said the government will go ahead with widening of the road through the existing road. “The alignments for the projects have been approved by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and we cannot alter the alignment,” Lyngdoh said.

JAC chairman Donkupar Sumer said that construction of the four-lane highway from the existing highway would lead to loss of livelihood to many people including relocation of five schools in the area. “The present problem with regard to Umsning by-pass occurred to the adamant attitude of the present PWD minister who did not consider the hardship of the people if the four-lane project goes from the existing highway,” Sumer said.

Meanwhile, government offices, educational and financial institutions remained closed, while shutters were down in the shop-markets and business establishments.
It also affected vehicular movement specially passenger buses and goods-laden trucks on the national highways between Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura. “50 per cent attendance was recorded in government offices,” District Collector Mawshanlang Kharmujai said. Though, there were no reports of any untoward incident, but unidentified persons pelted stones at a Meghalaya Transport Corporation bus at 19 mile before bandh came into effect from 0500 hours this morning, deputy superintendent of police S.W.Malai said

“No one was injured in the stone attack, but the windshield of the bus was damaged,” he said. The district administration imposed Section 144 CrPC prohibiting forcible obstruction to movement of vehicles along the National Highway-40.

Public Work Department officials said the alignments for the projects have been approved by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and cannot be altered, so it’s up to the State Government to sort out these new problems.