SHILLONG, OCT 1: As Durga Puja approaches there is a general apprehension in this capital city that the festive occasion might get bogged down by a 48-hour road blockade call beginning October 6 given by the Meghalaya Land and Forest Owners' Association (MLFOA) to register their protest against the Supreme Court's ban on tree felling.The MLFOA contend that the ban has affected the livelihood of those who depend on timber and other related activities for their daily existence. The MLFOA held a massive rally recently in Shillong to protest the order, and they had also written to the Government to take up the issue with the Apex Court for a review of the directive.However their decision to call for the 48-hour road blockade that ends on the morning the Durga Puja begins has taken the state by surprise. The proposed 40-hour road blockade will inevitably affect pre-puja arrangements including the installation of idols in the 48 mandaps in Shillong, and many fear violence.Meanwhile, members of the Greater Shillong Durga Puja Celebration Committee (GSDPC) met the MLFOA and requested them to defer their programme to some other dates in view of the puja. It is learnt that the executive committee of the MLFOA is meeting on Tuesday to take a final decision on the matter.Meghalaya Chief Minister S C Marak also met the puja committee members and assured them Government support in ensuring a smooth puja. He is also scheduled to meet members of the MLFOA.To enhance security, Marak is said to have requested Union Home Minister Inderjit Gupta additional companies of Central Reserve Police (CRPF).Going by past experience, the fear of Durga Puja being marred by violence is justified. The first major communal violence that rocked Shillong was during the 1979 puja, then again in 1987 and 1992.With the aforementioned incidents in mind the Shillong district administration is working to secure peace during the festivities; East Khasi Hills deputy commissioner P Naik had a meeting with the members of the Puja Committee, Khasi Hils Autonomous District Council and the tribal traditional heads of different localities of Shillong to work out a strategic to ensure a peaceful puja.Talking to The Indian Express deputy commissioner Naik keeping in view the volatile sentiments of the people the law could not ensure perfect peace without the cooperation of the public. He however said that a clearer picture would emerge only in the next few days.
