The East Khasi Hills District Magistrate has directed the immediate reopening of the Umdud to Zero Point Road, following its closure by the Syiem of Sohra.
This closure is disrupting exports through the Majai Land Custom Station.
The district administration issued its order on May 20, stating that any violation of the order to reopen the road will be dealt with through legal means.
This comes after the Syiem of Sohra indefinitely closed the road in protest of a district administration order prohibiting the collection of tolls from trucks bound for Bangladesh. The Syiem claims this prohibition disrespects a previous High Court order authorising the toll collection.
The Syiem said that the High Court of Meghalaya had permitted a customary toll of Rs 200 per vehicle to continue for use of the Umdud to Zero Point Road in order to maintain the route. This interim order was subsequently upheld by a larger bench of the High Court.
However, residents of Majai say that the Syiem is not holding up his side of the agreement as the road is in an awful state – muddy in the wet season and dusty in the dry season.
Residents had even launched their own blockade on May 4 to protest the Syiem’s inability to maintain the road. They claimed that heavily laden trucks exporting limestone to Bangladesh cause much of the damage to the roads and halted their passage. Two days later, it is alleged, people from Sohra came to Majai and confronted the blockade. The situation almost turned violent before police intervened.
