The Garo Students’ Union (GSU) from the Siju and Karukol region has complained to the Deputy Commissioner of South Garo Hills about the supposed illegal extraction of sand and gravel from riverbeds around the district.
According to the pressure group, a contractor working on the Karukol-Nengkong-Emangre-Nokatgre road has been illegally extracting sand and gravel from the Chibe River without obtaining any form of permission from the authorities.
“The irresponsible behaviour of the contractor is not only affecting the people living downstream but also life in the river itself. This is completely against the Meghalaya Protection of Catchment Area Act 1990, which bars quarrying and extraction of sand from riverbeds,” said the Siju unit president, Ralseng Marak.
