Ri-Bhoi Deputy Commissioner Abhilash Baranwal insisted today that the action of closing a Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) toll gate near Umdihar last week was done according to the law and not to insult the council.
Last Friday the district authorities ordered the toll gate along National Highway 6 in Ri-Bhoi to close because it was operating without prior permission of the state government.
Yesterday the KHADC defended itself, saying that the individual running the toll gate had been empowered to do so by the district council and he had also received a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the local dorbar shnong.
The KHADC alleged that the Ri-Bhoi administration had shown disrespect to the council, which draws its powers and legitimacy from the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, by closing the toll gate without first discussing the matter with the KHADC.
Today Baranwal made it clear that the KHADC is well within its rights to set up toll gates in areas of its jurisdiction but not on National Highways or state Public Works Department (PWD) roads, which is according to existing legal provisions.
Speaking to reporters, Baranwal stated that the toll gate at Umdihar was closed based on a directive issued by the state government in 2021 and in accordance with legal guidelines. He added that even in the KHADC’s own order, specifically under point 6, it is clearly stated that toll gates cannot be set up along National Highways.
He further explained that while the KHADC and the Hima Mylliem had issued orders to set up toll gates in several locations, the district administration did not intervene in those instances as they fell within their jurisdiction. However, setting up toll gates along National Highways or state PWD roads is not permitted under the law and all parties must comply with legal provisions, Baranwal stated.
