Shillong, Sep 14: The Hill Farmers’ Union (HFU) today claimed that police are hand-in-glove with what amounts to an extortion racket targeting pickup trucks and lorries entering Meghalaya.
The HFU called on Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma today where they raised a host of issues affecting farmers, including alleged illegal collection from vehicles entering the state, losses due to African Swine Fever (ASF) and falling prices of farm produce.
The union alleged the existence of a system under which pickup trucks are charged up to Rs 4,000 and lorries up to Rs 15,000 for entry into Meghalaya.
It further alleged that payments were being made to a particular bank account and that, after payment, information was passed on to persons who then shared vehicle numbers with police on the road to allow those vehicles to pass.
The meeting comes days after the HFU staged a protest in Shillong to highlight the crisis in the piggery sector. On September 10 pig farmers under the union’s banner marched with live pigs from Shillong Civil Hospital junction to Malki Ground demanding loan waivers, compensation and stricter checks on livestock entering the state.
The union said over 1,200 families across districts have been affected after thousands of pigs died due to ASF. It had earlier accused the government of failing to enforce its own standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued on August 10, 2023, which mandates testing of pigs brought from outside at designated checkpoints and quarantine if infected.
At Monday’s meeting, the HFU reiterated its demand for compensation to pig farmers who lost livestock allegedly due to import of pigs from outside, waiver of loans availed under the Piggery Mission, setting up of check posts and quarantine centres at all border entry points and a policy to prevent a crash in prices of agricultural produce.
