Shillong: South Garo Hills officials clamped down on dissent Wednesday. Additional District Magistrate P.R. Marak invoked Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita to outlaw public gatherings of five or more people near National Highway 62. The order blocks anyone from carrying weapons, sticks, or stones on the vital artery linking Baghmara to Tura and Shillong. Loudspeakers and rowdy sloganeering are also off-limits.
This move follows a push by a coalition of NGOs—the FKJGP, ADE, AYWO, AHAM, NGCO, ADIL, and APA—to launch nightly blockades from 7 pm to 5 am. They want the stalled construction on the Dalu-to-Baghmara stretch to finally move forward. The administration warned that such shutdowns threaten essential services and emergency vehicle access, though ambulances, fire crews, and government staff are exempt.
FKJGP zonal president Pritam Arengh blamed the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited and the state PWD for the deadlock. Arengh stated, "The deplorable condition of the highway has caused severe hardship for residents, particularly when transporting patients to hospitals."
The federation now wants Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma to step in. They are calling on the state government and the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to speed up forest clearances, project reports, and the tendering process. After years of ignored memorandums and rallies, the groups remain at a standoff with local authorities.
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