Assam Cong MLAs urge Meghalaya govt to ensure safe return of

A delegation of Congress MLAs of Assam on Thursday urged the Meghalaya government to ensure the safe return of migrant workers who are stranded in the state in view of the prevailing law and order situation, following the clash in Ichamati.

The delegation, comprising Karimganj North MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, Mariani MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi and Boko MLA Nandita Das, met state Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui and urged him to take necessary steps.

They also met their party colleagues in Meghalaya and sought the intervention of Leader of Opposition Mukul Sangma.

Nandita Das told reporters that there are many people from Assam who work at construction sites in Meghalaya and stuck in different parts of the state, including Ichamati.

"I could tell you that thousands of migrant workers from Assam are stuck at various construction sites in Meghalaya," she said.

"In view of this, we have come to meet the government. We have met the home minister and apprised him of the concern expressed by the families of these workers. Therefore, we have requested the government to ensure a safe return for our people," Das said.

Sangma said the MLAs from Assam have expressed the need to restore normalcy and peace in the state and the region.

He said the volatile situation has vitiated the environment of peace and harmony and it has generated a certain amount of anxiety and sense of insecurity among the minds of family members of many people who happen to be in Meghalaya for making themselves available as migrant workers.

"They are here to collectively contribute to restoring normalcy in the state and the region," he said.

Meghalaya and Assam are interdependent and people of both the states are directly and indirectly connected, the former chief minister said.