Shillong, Nov 27: Members of the Meghalaya Commercial Truck Owners and Drivers Association (MCTODA) walked out of a meeting today convened by the state government.
Peter Lawai, Sordar of Mawryngkneng, who was invited to the meeting, walked out along with MCTODA members, including the association’s spokesperson, Wanshwa Nongtdu, alleging that the government had reneged on its earlier commitment to hike the rate of transportation of coke and clinker from Rs 7 per tonne per kilometre to Rs 9 per tonne per kilometre.
“Our walk out was because we don’t want to lie to the public of the state and drivers and truck owners who are under MCTODA,” Lawai told reporters.
According to him, in today’s meeting the state government, under the chairmanship of Deputy Chief Minister in charge of Transport, Sniawbhalang Dhar, said that as per the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, the state government does not have the power to fix the rates for inter-state transport, only for intra-state, that is within Meghalaya.
Lawai said that the government is employing double standards and is not acting in the interest of the indigenous people of Meghalaya but is instead favouring the cement companies.
The Sordar of Mawryngkneng said that if the government is for the interest of the indigenous people then it should notify the rates as assured instead of listening to the cement companies, who have been arguing that any increase in rates will make their business unviable and will only lead to consumers in Meghalaya paying more for cement.
Lawai was ready to burn that bridge, saying that the cement companies should be shut down if they do not benefit the indigenous people, in this case the truckers.
“The saddest part is that the Deputy Chief Minister (Dhar) said that the rate could not be fixed (at Rs 9 per tonne per kilometre) if it goes interstate,” MCTODA president Mokslandar Marngar said.
Marngar also expressed displeasure that only around 120 trucks belonging to locals are allowed to haul cement and clinker per day, with the bulk of the 2,000 per day belonging to outsiders.
