The East Khasi Hills unit of the Local Truck Owners and Drivers Association has announced a sudden halt to the transportation of sand and boulders from today.
The association’s president, Egenstar Kurkalang said that the implementation by the state government of the Meghalaya Minerals Prevention of Illegal Mining Transportation and Storage Rules 2022 has hurt truck drivers and owners who are unaware of the law’s details.
Kurkalang said that the government has implemented it without proper clarification of the rules to the truckers and that has resulted in several drivers from Laitkor, Laitkroh, Umphyrnai and other places having been detained and their consignments seized by authorities from the district administration and Forest Department.
Informing that they will hold a public meeting on August 8 at Umphyrnai before they take other decisions, Kurkalang added that there are many people directly and indirectly engaged in this occupation and this act has affected them all since it was implemented without consultation with concerned stakeholders.
“The government should go easy on the act before a discussion and clarification on the matter takes place because many don’t even know about the existence of this act as there was no consultation or clarification given regarding the challan needed from quarry owners, etc. Now this is going to also affect ongoing projects, both government and private,” he stated.
