The East Jaiñtia Hills unit of the Khasi Students Union (KSU) has written to the Deputy Commissioner over several subjects, from the removal of a Border Security Force (BSF) camp, electricity repairs to the transfer of officials.
On the BSF camp, the KSU unit said that the one located at Sonapur is illegal and should be removed to ensure the safety of the people.
The pressure group said that “serious complaints” have been made against the “dictatorial control and high handedness of the BSF” within surrounding areas.
It added that on March 2, BSF in full uniform “attacked” a student of Huroi village while he was on his way to school and that the incident has left the villagers “feeling vulnerable and living in fear”.
The union also requested that an additional anti-infiltration check gate be set up on National Highway 6 as there is, it claimed, influx from across the Bangladesh border in the Kuliang area, one incident of which was caught on video. The checkpoint at Umtyra does not serve the purpose of checking people’s documents but only vehicles, the KSU added while calling for new check gates either at Tonseng or Sonapur.
Meanwhile, the KSU also requested that a workshop be set up in EJH to speed up repairs to malfunctioning electrical infrastructure.
Transformers put up to provide the public with electricity often fail or are damaged and require repair, especially during the monsoon. Because repairs cannot be done locally, it can often take months for a broken transformer to be fixed, leaving the residents it serves in the dark during the meantime. A workshop in the district capable of making the repairs would greatly speed up such work and be of benefit to the locals, the KSU told the DC.
Finally, the KSU also complained to the DC about the frequent transfer of competent officers out of the district, leaving the administration with a virtual rotating door through which officials come and go. This leads to short-staffing and the overburdening of existing officers.
