Meghalaya limestone export trade affected

ICHAMATI (Meghalaya-Bangladeshi Border) April 4: The normally bustling mining village of Ichamati, which along with nearby Shella and Borsora, is responsible for nearly 75 per cent of Meghalaya's lucrative limestone export trade with Bangladesh, has been quiet since February 20 this year. The sudden closure of Gate No. 7 on the border fence since that day by the BSF brought about an abrupt halt to the export trade to Bangladesh. This has affected not only the substantial revenue collection of the Meghalaya Government but also the livelihood of over 600 families dependent on the mining and export of limestones. Visiting the area last week this correspondent saw big mounds of limestone boulders, dumped along the international border, awaiting clearance. "The situation would be worse if the gate is not opened at the earliest with the peak exports season (May to October) approaching fast," said T Khrawbokiang Iangrai, president of the Central Ri-War Exporters' Syndicate. The adjoining Gate No 5 was open but since majority of the exporters use Gate No. 7, the export of limestone to Bangladesh has been adversely affected. An exporter explained that Gate No. 5 has been monopolised by some exporters as they owned the nearby dumping grounds. On the average, between 1.5 lakh metric tonnes and 2 lakh metric tonnes of limestone are exported to Bangladesh every year. The state government is estimated to be earning about Rs 1 crore annually as cess and royalty on limestone. BSF officials claimed that Gate 7 has been closed following directions from the higher BSF authorities for 'security reasons'. Shortage of manpower has made it difficult for the BSF to effectively patrol and monitor the 24 gate in the area and therefore some gates had to be closed, they explained. It may be mentioned that gates have been provided on the border fence along the Indo-Bangladesh border to facilitate people to visit their fields lying outside the gate and for border trade. Paul Wallang, a young exporter said that the association had taken up the issue of the closure of the gate with higher BSF officials but to no avail. They have also informed the matter to the Meghalaya Minister for Border Trade, RL Tariang and urged him to urgently convene a meeting of all concerned parties to resolve the impasse. "We are still awaiting a positive reply from the minister," he rued. An air of suspicion and hostility was discernible in the relations between the local people and the BSF. A BSF official alleged that the villagers in the area were hand-in-glove with smugglers while the locals charged the security forces with harassing them. The locals were also unhappy with the BSF for closing down the Indo-Bangladesh border road (IBBR) for public use. This has adversely affected them in bringing home their agricultural produce from the fields across the fence. With the exports down to a trickle, there was hardly any boat plying on the Ichamati river. The bulk of the export are taken to Bangladesh by boats owned by Bangladeshis. This small country boats carry as much as one tonne of limestone each. Limestone mines dot the area with Meghalaya sitting stop a reserve of over 450 million metric tonnes of high grade limestone. At one mine a handful of labourers were prying out limestone boulders from a hill side. Also dotting the area are limestone kilns. Limestone boulders up to 40-50 tonnes are stacked in each, where they go through a process called 'lime burning'.