The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) will lose out on revenue of up to Rs 20 lakh due to the order of the state government to close all of its toll gates on national highways, state highways and state roads.
The government held a meeting yesterday with the KHADC and its counterpart from Jaintia Hills (JHADC) to make it clear that toll gates set up under the authority of the councils on such roads must be closed immediately. The two councils have no right to set up toll gates on such roads, though the government accepted that they do have the right to impose tolls and make checks of trucks transporting timber, limestone and other materials.
KHADC Chief Executive Member Titosstarwell Chyne today informed that such a move will cost the council Rs 15 lakh to Rs 20 lakh but that they are working out a plan to mitigate the impact.
The councils had previously opposed the government’s diktat to close the toll gates but accepted the decision yesterday.
Chyne said that they had been set up several years ago according to prevailing practice.
“We, the autonomous district council, are a constitutional body. There are provisions in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution that allow the council to collect tax and levies,” Chyne said. “Right now we are working out how to go about this and we will make our decisions public soon.”
Some gates do not collect tolls but are there to check to see whether non-tribals have obtained the necessary trading licence, he added.
“We have to check vehicles owned by non-tribals because every vehicle run by non-tribals should obtain a trading licence and they can’t ply within the jurisdiction of the ADCs without it. We have to find ways and means to check on such illegalities,” the CEM stated.
