Shillong, Oct 27: The Meghalaya High Court has treated a letter, written by a resident of Nongkrem on the inconvenience faced by the general public with regards to fishing competition, as a Public Interest Litigation (PIL).
Joannes JTL Lamare of Nongkrem had written a letter to former Chief Justice Indra Prasanna Mukerji on August 28, 2025 requesting the High Court to take note of the inconvenience faced by citizens of the State because of fishing competition events organised in places close to the National Highways and state roads.
Lamare referred to Section 201 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and the Control of National Highways (Land and Traffic) Act, 2002 and said fishing competitions in the state are being conducted without adhering to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) violating the rights of road users.
He said the District Commissioners of various districts should ensure that proper rules are laid down while issuing the No Objection Certificate (NOCs) to the organizers of fishing competition events.
Additionally, Lamare referred to the fishing competition organised along the Shillong-Nongstoin-Tura Road such as in Mawlangren and Pamphyrnai, which has resulted in the loss of life due to a massive traffic jam that prevented the ambulance from reaching the care centre on time.
A division bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Wanlura Diengdoh today acted on the letter and directed the State government to file a report with regard to the steps taken within three weeks.
The matter has been scheduled for hearing on November 25, 2025.
