Shillong, Mar 3: The Khasi Students Union (KSU) is disturbed by a misspelling of the name Khliehriat on project signboards and documents and has sought that these be corrected by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
The KSU’s Jowai circle has written to NHAI demanding immediate correction of the misspelled “Khalerait” to the correct Khliehriat.
This and other pressure groups have been known to deface signage bearing alternate names (Barapani instead of Umiam, for example) and spelling of places in Khasi-Jaintia Hills.
The KSU termed the Khliehriat error “grave and intolerable”, stating that this is a recurring pattern of distorting indigenous local names. The name Khliehriat holds historical and cultural significance and altering it to “Khalerait” is considered an insult to the community’s identity, it added in the letter.
