Border trade between Arunachal's Dibang Valley & Assam hit hard

* People allege harassment in Arunachal, on COVID pretext

OUR CORRESPONDENT

TINSUKIA: Border trade between the people of the Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh and the Tinsukia district of Assam has been hit hard as traders and workers have been subjected to alleged harassment by the Dibang Valley district administration in the name of COVID pandemic. As a result, tea and zinger cultivators have been severely-affected. Owing to shortage of workforce, some tea gardens in the Roing belt have been compelled to their closure.

According to information, the vehicles carrying essential items to Dibang Valley District are charged Rs 300 for sanitization and the driver or the handyman has to pay Rs 500 for swab test at the Shantipur inter-border checkgate during entry. Surprisingly enough, the same vehicle and persons on their return journey also had to cough up the same amount.

Local people further complained that the administration are allegedly targetting those non-tribal people engaged in trans-border trade, who were forced to remained quarantined in hotels 14 days or more at their own costs allegedly in nexus with hoteliers.

Such discrimination and unhealthy practices have left the tea and zinger cultivators of Dibang Valley District at the receiving end. The green tea leaves produced in the district by the tribal cultivators are procured by the 'Boughtleaf Factories' located in Doomdooma and Rupai Siding in Tinsukia district of Assam. This is done primarily becuase such green tea leaves fetch higher prices in Assam.

Besides, the limited number of 'Boughtleaf Factories' located in the district are unable to feed overproduction of leaves.

Under these strict quarantine exercise, a large number of non-tribal people including the daily wage earners engaged by the tribal establishments decided not to venture into troubling districts of Arunachal Pradesh.

The local people — both tribal and non-tribal — have urged the administration of Dibang Valley District not to follow such discriminatory policies as this may lead to inter-border skirmishes and also affect livelihood.

The Deputy Commissioner of Dibang Valley District Mitali Namchoom could not be contacted for her comments.

Sources among the wholesalers in Tinsukia have confirmed the harassment. They said that if this situation persists for long, the Arunachal Pradesh districts — which are dependent on Tinsukia markets — would face acute shortage of various essential commodities as well. It has been learnt that residents of Tezu and Hayuliang among other areas in Lohit district have already suffered because of these alleged administrative looppholes.

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