Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA): Business As Usual in Meghalaya

A CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: Shillong has come back to life after days of protests against the amended Citizenship Act and parts of the city brought under lockdown affecting normal life. However, since Saturday, people were seen flocking Police Bazar and Motphran – the two prime commercial hubs of the city – to buy essential items as well as clothes and gifts for ensuing Christmas.

The two areas bore the brunt of violence over the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. On Sunday, streets, houses and government buildings in the State capital were being decked up in Christmas lights and festoons.

With just a few days left for X-Mas, hawkers and shop keepers alike in Police Bazar and other places, were busy selling clothes, goodies and other Christmas items. As carols rang the city air, hawkers were seen selling Santa Claus hats and masks.

However, most of the shopkeepers rued the fact that the tension arising out of the passing of the CAA has dampened the festive fervour. The shop owners selling apparels also admitted that since the NGT ban on coal mining in 2014, their sales during Christmas had drastically dipped; and this year with the protests over the CAA the business has been even worse. "In earlier years we used to do brisk business from the first week of December with the sales peaking a few days before Christmas. But this year with the prevailing tense situation we could hardly transact any business," a shoe seller said.

On Sunday morning, the East Khasi Hills district administration lifted the curfew imposed in all the curfew-bound areas notified under the Lumdiengjri and Sadar Police Stations and their respective outposts and beat houses with effect from 4 am. Curfew was imposed in the wake of violent anti-CAA protests there on December 12 last. Mobile Internet and messaging services, which were withdrawn as a precautionary measure to prevent circulation of fake news, were also restored on Friday night. Earlier this week, the Meghalaya Assembly had unanimously adopted a resolution to urge the Centre to extend the Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime in Meghalaya to keep the CAA out of the purview of the State.

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