Newmai News Network
Shillong | December 15
The ongoing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) has resulted in great hardship in West Khasi Hills district where petrol pumps and ATMs have completely run dry.
With law and order being severely compromised in Assam where CAB protests reached a crescendo these last few days, oil tankers have been unable to ply thereby severely affecting the supply of fuel to Meghalaya.
As was seen on Sunday, petrol pumps in Nongstoin, Mawshynrut, Mairang and other areas of the district have completely exhausted their fuel reserves which has rendered vehicle owners at a loss as where to procure fuel from.
“We are very worried as we don’t know when the supply of fuel will be resumed as we do not know when this agitation against the CAB will end,” a concerned owner of a commercial vehicle based in Nongstoiñ said on Sunday.
In the midst of a tense atmosphere in the district as a whole, many banks have opted to close their ATMs even as those which remained open these last few days such as the ATM of the State Bank of India (SBI), Nongstoiñ have completely run out of cash.
It may be noted here that a holiday was declared throughout Meghalaya on Thursday on account of the observance of the 147th death anniversary of Garo freedom fighter Pa-Togan Nengminza Sangma. This was followed by a holiday on Friday in West Khasi Hills district in honour of (L) Sib Singh Syiem. This had also affected banking services on Saturday leaving those in need of these services in a great quandary.
