Guwahati, Aug 22 (PTI) Traffic movement to Meghalaya remained disrupted for the third day on Saturday as taxi drivers of Guwahati blocked multiple entry points to the hill state, protesting alleged attacks on Assam residents during a recent students’ rally in Shillong.
An inter-state ministerial-level meeting is scheduled to be held at Guwahati during the day to find a solution to the impasse, with vehicles from Assam also being restricted from entering Meghalaya.
The Assam State Drivers’ Union, among the cab-operators’ and drivers’ bodies leading the agitation, said it has extended its blockade of Meghalaya-bound traffic to the entry points of Rani, Boko, Hahim and Lampi Road.
The move comes after the Meghalaya government issued an advisory for travellers to use these alternative routes.
The cab operators had already been blockading traffic at Jorabat and Khanapara areas, which serve as the main entry points to Meghalaya to reach its capital Shillong.
“We will continue with our protest till a lasting solution is worked out. Some half-way measures will not be accepted,” a taxi driver said at Jorabat.
The protesters also claimed that the government has failed to reach out to them and expressed apprehension over the outcome of the ministerial-level meeting.
They, however, maintained that vehicles engaged with essential services were not being stopped.
The North East Petroleum Mazdoor Union, lending support to the agitation, has announced indefinite cessation of loading and unloading of products for Meghalaya till peace is restored.
Assam Border Protection and Development Minister Atul Bora will be holding talks with Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister S Dhar in Guwahati, with the two leaders entrusted by the respective governments to negotiate over the issue, official sources said.
Addressing media on Friday, Bora had said that the Assam government is in touch with Meghalaya to ensure the safety of Assam residents stranded in the hill state.
Assam Police have also activated two helpline numbers — 9181014888 (WhatsApp) and 03612381511 (landline) — for people from Assam who were stranded in Meghalaya or were facing difficulties in movement.
Violence had erupted during a motorcycle rally organised by the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) in Shillong on August 19. At least 31 vehicles, including those from Assam, were damaged, while 16 people injured and two vehicles set ablaze, the Meghalaya Police had said.
Following the incident, commercial vehicle operators in Guwahati blocked traffic to Meghalaya at Jorabat and Khanapara, the main entry points to the neighbouring state, from Thursday. PTI SSG SSG ACD
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