Farmers on Ri-Bhoi’s disputed border with Assam are living in fear after seeing their crops stolen or destroyed by suspected Assam residents.
This came to light after the Hill Farmers Union (HFU) interacted with farmers in Umru village today.
HFU General Secretary Allfondbirth Kharsyntiew and its Adviser, Dr Bremley WB Lyngdoh, were in the village to try and spot the Amur falcon, a migratory bird that stops over in Meghalaya on its journey between the eastern regions of Asia and southern Africa.
Farmers in the border region are living in constant fear as, at the time of harvesting, their crops suffer from theft and wanton destruction by unknown culprits. Dr Lyngdoh and Kharsyntiew urged the Meghalaya government to take up the matter of the disputed border seriously with Assam and focus on alleviating the problems faced by farmers.
The HFU wants to highlight the migratory route of the falcon and make the area famous. A union unit was formed in Umru today and several local farmers signed up to it.
