Shillong, Aug 24: The Meghalaya Commercial Truck Owners and Drivers’ Association (MCTODA) has decided that it will not pay money at any toll gates.
“We are ready to face off with anyone on the issue but we will not pay at the toll gate, let it belong to anybody,” MCTODA president Mosklandar Marngar said.
The MCTODA president also urged the district councils and the state government to pay attention to the mushrooming of toll gates in the state.
Margnar said that as per the rules of the Union Ministry of Road Transport, no toll gates shall operate on national highways, apart from those sanctioned by the central government for the highways’ upkeep.
However, in Meghalaya, toll gates under the aegis of the autonomous district councils (though often leased out to private tax collectors) levy charges on trucks on national highways that transport goods in and out of the state. This has been a contentious issue with those on the ADCs’ side arguing that they have the right to do so as Meghalaya is a Sixth Schedule state. The state and courts are not in favour of this argument, though.
Marngar expressed hope that the current executive committee in the KHADC will bring to an end the toll gates under its jurisdiction.
