Our Correspondent
Diphu, Nov.26 (EMN): Sand dealers of Karbi Anglong have announced an ‘indefinite bandh’ on supply of sand to Nagaland.
Members of Sand Mahaldars and Suppliers Association (SMSA) of Karbi Anglong told a press conference at Manja in Assam on Sunday that the restriction will continue until a sand dealer from Dimapur identified as Raju Pareek withdraws a police complaint he had filed against some SMSA members on Nov. 25 last.
According to the publicity secretary of SMSA, Premson Killing, ‘some people from Nagaland’ were involved in illegal sand mining from ‘mahal’ No. 9 at Holy Cross, Disobai in Karbi Anglong. He said that ‘maha’ No. 9 “has already expired since Jan. 7 2017, , and the (Assam) Forest department has invited fresh tender for it.”
But few people, including Raju Pareek from Dimapur, continue to extract sand illegally using excavators and other machineries, he claimed.
“It was on the night of Nov. 24 around 10 pm that, for enquiry, members of SMSA have stopped some dumpers at Mohendijua between Manja-Longnit road of NH-36 under Manja PS, carrying sand to Dimapur. In the process a heated argument took place between the drivers and handymen of the dumpers and members of SMSA,” Killing said.
As fallout of this argument, he said, Pareek and ‘his colleagues Raju Yadav and Adam Goilu’ filed an FIR at Manja police station against six members of SMSA alleging them of indulging in extortion and carrying arms.
‘Third party involved’
The Karbi Longri and NC Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF) hinted at involvement of an unnamed ‘third party’, during a separate press conference. The chairman of the outfit, P Dilli said that the KLNLF would ‘have to intervene if such trend will continue to go on’ while referring to ‘some unscrupulous persons’ indulging in illegal sand mining.
