Hundreds of people commuting daily between Bor-Lengri in Karbi Anglong, Assam and Dimapur district are facing huge problem following sealing of a bridge that connected the two sides by Dimapur district administration on Monday evening. The bridge was sealed following a directive by the Home ministry to seal all inter-State borders due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Bor-Lengri Lotha GB Ren Jami told Nagaland Post over telephone that residents near the border were ready to abide and follow the order of the district administration as they understood the gravity of the situation. But at the same time, he appealed to the Nagaland government to offer relaxations for medical emergencies. He claimed that there were 2,776 households in the area belonging to different Naga tribes.
On the other hand, Balijan ‘C’ caretaker GB K Lichumo Lotha told this reporter that along with the Naga residents of Bor-Lengri, villagers of Balijan ‘C’ too bought all their essential items from Dimapur. However, he regretted at the Dimapur district administration preventing them from entering Nagaland. He too demanded that exemption be made for medical emergencies and frontline workers residing in the vicinity.
Bor-Lengri Block-I president Imli Walling said a meeting was held with the council, GBs and chairmen and Duncan Council and Lengrijan over the lifeline, which had been sealed. He said they called for giving exemptions during medical emergencies. Police manning the area said the bridge would remain closed till they received directives from higher-ups. When contacted, DC Dimapur Anoop Khinchi explained that the bridge was sealed in order to restrict free flow of people from both sides. He, however, assured that relaxation would be given on medical grounds.