Meghalaya: Iewduh comes back to life; hopes of a peaceful city run high among citizens

By Our Reporter, TNT News | Shillong, June 09, 2018:

With the East Khasi Hills district administration relaxing the hours of curfew, normalcy has slowly started to return throughout Shillong city especially in Motphran and its adjoining areas which had witness a tense-situation for the past many days in view of the mob violent protest.

The city busiest market Iewduh was seen crowded with people during the hours of relaxation of the curfew by the district administration.

The violent protest demanding the relocation of the Sweeper's colony at Them Iew Mawlong has affected the life of the common citizens of the city especially the daily wage earners.

The economic activities at Iewduh market has also come to a standstill in view of the law and order situation.

While the people are praying for peace to return in Shillong city, they also wanted the Government to take measures to ensure such kind of situation is not repeated in the near future.

During the violent protest, what was worse, was that the angry mob who were pelting stones at the police personnel stationed at Motphran area, did not spare even the educational institutions located in the area.

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The worse affected from this violent protest was Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian Institution of Technology located at Synod Complex.

During a visit to this institution, it was found that the glass windows of majority of the rooms of this institution were broken.

The institution was in a total mess with the staff of the institute still trying to clean and clear the broken glasses which are lying in the ground.

Speaking to TNT-The Northeast Today, the KJP Institute of Technology director project director M.R. Rajee said that this kind of protest is a common thing. He, however, said that it was really unfortunate that the angry crowd pelted stones at an institution like this which tries to serve the downtrodden and people who comes from a difficult background.

The institute project director who was instrumental in the setting up of this institute was in tears after seeing the damages done to the institute.

Replying to a query, he said that the total damages would be more than Rs 2 lakh even though they have not carried a detailed assessment on the damages incurred.

The local cab, passenger buses and auto rickshaw drivers have also been badly affected in view of the shut down in the past few days.

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An auto rickshaw driver from Mawlai area said that the curfew imposed due to the violent protest has affected him badly since he feeds his family with what he manage to earn on a daily basis.

Informing that he was earning around Rs 250 to Rs 300 daily, he said that in the past few days, he was just sitting at home and doing nothing.

Interestingly, some of the youths who are engage in selling second hand clothes on the roadside along Motphran are now selling beetel nut leaves and vegetables along the roadside.

According to these youths, they have temporarily shifted to selling of beetel nut leaves and vegetables just to be able to make earnings for their family.

They said that they cannot take out their stock of second hand clothes since they not very sure of the prevailing law and order situation.

These youths further stated they will again resume their business of selling second hand clothes once normalcy returns to the city.

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During a visit to the Iewduh market, it was found that majority of the roadside vendors, vegetable sellers, fruits sellers even as meat and fish sellers revealed their plights and complained that they would have to starve if the situation does not improve since they are feeding with whatever they manage to sell on a daily basis from the market.

An eighty-five-year-old lady who sells banana in the market said that majority of her bananas were spoiled and she had to throw them away due to closure of the market for so many days.

She said that she was facing great difficulties due to the lost she had incurred even as she informed that she was supporting her family from whatever she could earn by selling bananas in the market.

The old lady said that she only prays that peace would come back so that poor people like her who are earning from hand to mouth would not face this kind of situation.

Meanwhile, one of the meat-sellers at Iewduh said that majority of the meat sellers in Iewduh market had to throw the meat which was left out after there was a total shut down in view of the violent protest on the night of May 31.

He further said that majority of the meat sellers are supporting and meet the requirements of their family from whatever they manages to sell during the day.

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The meat seller said that it was very frustrating for him personally since he was sitting idle at home.

He urged upon the State Government to find a permanent solution to the ongoing problem.

The fish sellers have also complained about the lost they had incurred since many of the fish stock had to be thrown in view of the curfew imposed in the city in the past few days.

One of the fish sellers said that they had manage to preserved some of the fish stock by putting them in the ice.

He, however, said that it was not possible for the fish sellers to preserve all the fish.

The fish seller hopes that situation improves so the life of the people in the city would go back to normal.

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Above all, the police personnel who were patrolling at Motphran and its adjoining areas need to be complimented for maintaining their calm despite the tense situation and facing an assault from the crowd.

The police have restraint from using any kind of force which had ensured that there is no major injury to the violent crowd. One of the citizens have lauded the efforts put in by the police stating that they have maintained utmost discipline which was difficult to do so given the kind of situation they were up against.

During the violent protest, more than 100 police personnel were injured including senior police like SP (City) Steve Rynjah and others.

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