TURA, 15 July: Vegetable vendors from Dhubri, Mankachar and Haatsingimari can sell their produces in border haats to be set up in certain areas of the Assam-Meghalaya border for the time being while labourers are free to come back to work in Garo Hills provided they undergo registration. This was decided upon today at a joint meeting between North Tura Legislature N R Marak, West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Pravin Bakshi, Haatsingimari SDO (Civil) R C Malakar and NGOs and Civil Societies from both Garo Hills and the surrounding areas of Dhubri, Mankachar and Haatsingimari of Assam.
During the meeting NGOs and Civil Societies of West Garo Hills comprising of the Mother’s Union, GSU, ASWA, AYWO and FKJGP among others in unison approved of the decision to let vegetable vendors from Dhubri and surrounding areas sell their produces in designated border haats along the Assam-Meghalaya border for the time being. The decision was made after prolonged discussion taking into consideration the probability of recurrence of the recent violence. Not rejecting the proposition NGOs and Civil Societies from Assam who accompanied Malakar however informed that the matter had to be discussed with the traders of Haatsingimari and its surrounding areas.
On the return of laborers the meeting unanimously decided that they were free to come back and work as long as they registered themselves with competent authorities on entry into Garo Hills. Bakshi while maintaining that registration would be mandatory for all migrant labourers from Mankachar, Dhubri, Haatsingimari and surrounding areas cautioned that Labour contractors would be solely responsible for their registration failing which action would be taken against the erring contractors.
Earlier in the day Bakshi held a meeting with the youth organizations of West Garo Hills during which he apprised them of the recent joint meeting at Haatsingimari in Assam.(SP News)
