The alleged mushrooming of check gates throughout the state may seem far away from the day-to-day lives of ordinary citizens but it has a direct bearing on their lives as the levies and extortion that trucks have to bear when passing through these checkpoints is contributing to price rise.
This was stated by Shillong MP and state Congress president Vincent Pala. Such check gates, set up by district councils, the state government and private individuals said to have connections to those in power, have been in the news for the amount of harassment and financial burden they pose to truckers.
“Trucks have to pay ‘taxes’ to around 22 check gates, right from Guwahati to Ratacherra,” Pala stated.
Besides these check gates, truckers are also forced to pay money to police at various points in order to get through, he alleged.
All of these extra costs are invariably passed on to consumers, who are struggling with levels of inflation that have not been seen for years.
