SIVASAGAR, Nov 12: More than 100 stone traders, workers and vehicle drivers on Thursday staged a protest in Sivasagar, demanding permission to legally transport stones and reopen quarries and crushers.
People associated with the Bihubar and Lakshmijan stone trade held a joint protest at Dalmukh Chariali, where they staged a sit-in.
The protesters said stone quarries and crushers in Bihubar and Lakshmijan had remained closed since the devastating floods of July 19. They alleged that the Assam government had not resumed road permits required to transport stones from Nagaland.
They said the closure had cut off the livelihood of thousands of workers, drivers, machine operators and small traders. Quarry and crusher owners, as well as vehicle owners, were also facing difficulties in repaying bank loans and maintaining machinery, they said.
The protesters sought the intervention of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to allow stone transport through legal and scientific methods after obtaining all required permissions and complying with government rules.
