'People of the region will boycott the 2018 Assembly polls'

From A Reporter  

SHILLONG, April 9: Agitated by the silent attitude of the Meghalaya government in repairing the Nongstoin to Mawieit road under West Khasi Hills District, the Hynniewtrep Achick tiol Council (HANC) has threatened that people of the region will boycott the 2018 assembly polls.

“If the government does not do anything to repair the roads then the residence of Maweit area will boycott the election,” HANC president Ricky Sohlang, in statement issued here on Sunday said.

Informing that the road was constructed during Assam government in the year 1963-1964, he said, “Now the roads have become dilapidated which has made travelling for the people of the region very difficult.”

He added, “The people of the area will protest by not participating in the coming MLA election in 2018 if nothing is done to change the road conditions in the region.”

It may be mentioned that Council in the year 2015, had organised a public meeting in which they had decided that if the state government fails to repair the particular stretch of road before 2017 the people will boycott all election in future.

The Council had also submitted a memorandum in the month of June 2016, to the central government requesting to upgrade the road from Nongstoin to Nongjri stretching around 73 km. Recollecting that that the people of the region had earlier boycotted the MDC election to the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) as a mark of protest against the negligence of the state government, Sohlang said, “If the government does not take appropriate and necessary action by repairing the road connecting Nongstoin to Mawieit, then the people this region will also boycott the MLA election in 2018.”