Ri-Bhoi Deputy Commissioner, RM Kurbah, has written to the state government about potentially reopening the border road to Assam, which was sealed at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking to this reporter, Kurbah said that, as a first step, she has written to the government seeking the reopening of the Umsiang Bridge, which connects the district to Assam and which was a key route for the transport of goods between the states.
“Now I am waiting for the order from the state government to reopen the border road, which was sealed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and if the permission is granted the road will be reopened,” Kurbah said.
Currently there is only one route into Ri-Bhoi that is through Byrnihat, where entrants are screened for the coronavirus.
Yesterday, the Hill Farmers Union (HFU) had visited Umsiang and revealed that farmers there have been badly affected by the bridge’s closure.