Smuggling of rice from Khasi-Jaiñtia Hills into Bangladesh is leading to shortages of the essential commodity as well as inflation, the Shnongpdeng unit of the Hynñiewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF) claimed today.
In a letter to the Border Security Force (BSF), the HNYF said that Lyngkhat and Pyrdiwah are focal points for smuggling in East Khasi Hills, while in Jaiñtia Hills smugglers are using the Dawki-Bakur and Riah Jalong to Muktapur routes.
Asking the border force to stop the illegal activity, the pressure group said, “This illegal business is carried on with no interference by any authority and this is leading to shortage of rice, which is the staple food of the people, which also leads to inflation of this particular food grain in the region in particular and the state as a whole.”
The letter was signed by the HNYF’s local President, Tarson Lymba, and Secretary, Iasius Lamin.
