Far from being appeased by the state government’s decision to reduce fuel tax by Rs 2 to Rs 29 per litre, the Meghalaya Joint Action Committee of Commercial Vehicles (MJACCV) wants a reduction of 25 per cent as well as a waiving of 50 per cent of commercial vehicle taxes before it will consider ending their strike.
MJACCV chairman, Wandonbok Jyrwa, said that the striking drivers and owners are prepared to continue indefinitely as they had survived three months of the Covid-19 lockdown without any income and can do so again to fight for what they believe in.
“It is very clear that this tax on fuel is daylight robbery of the public and I urge all the drivers and owners of commercial vehicles to come forward and support this strike until the government is down on its knees,” Jyrwa said today.
Venting further frustration, Jyrwa also demanded that the authorities not be so heavy-handed when it comes to punishing drivers for supposed violations of parking rules, saying that changes to parking zones and other road rules need to be notified prior to their implementation.
Meanwhile, the All Meghalaya Labour Association (AMLA) has demanded the state government bring down the price of petrol and diesel in the State.
Addressing the media today, AMLA president Danny Dunai said that the government order to reduce the fuel tax by only Rs 2 per litre is insufficient. The association is also supporting the Meghalaya Joint Action Committee of Commercial Vehicles (MJACCV) in their ongoing strike.
Almost all labourers and the very poor have been affected by the lack of the commercial vehicles on the road and can no longer attend work, or travel to health centres or their villages, he explained.
“If the state government is adamant and ignores our demand, we will take strong steps and may even take the decision to bar labourers from working on any projects,” Dunai added.
The government’s Rs 29 per litre of state tax on fuel (after the Rs 2 reduction) is excessive, the AMLA representative said, as Meghalaya is a backward state where such a high level of tax is “unjustifiable”.
He also ridiculed the statement made by Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong that the fuel cess goes towards the education sector.
“How can the minister make such claims when even the Right to Education Act has not been implemented to date? Many schools have been shut down owing to a lack of financial assistance from the government. Where is the youth policy? These are all empty words which will never be put into practice,” he stated.
Meanwhile, in support of the strike, bikers under the banner of The Ultimate Legend Bikers Association (TULBA) have also threatened to protest if the State government fails to take steps to reduce the price of fuel.
“The price of petrol has skyrocketed non-stop from Rs 70 to Rs 90 approximately and time will come it will touch Rs 100 which put the poor in great misery,” TULBA president, Seiborlang Lyngdoh Nonglait, said, adding that students have suffered particularly during the strike.
“The poor hardly earn an income of Rs 5,000 a month and with this skyrocketing fuel price everything has skyrocketed, including food items, but the government is not serious to address this problem but issued the order to reduce the fuel by only Rs 2 which is absurd and unacceptable,” Nonglait said.
