The Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government has been nothing other than “indifferent” to the plight of commercial vehicle operators – namely taxis and private buses – who are striking over the high cost of fuel and the recent revision of fares downwards, Mawsynram MLA Himalaya Shangpliang said today.
The Congress Party, to which Shangpliang belongs, has been trying to make hay from the strike, with Shangpliang being the latest to take aim at the government’s handling of the dispute.
“I don’t see any seriousness on the part of the government to bring about a solution,” Shangpliang said at a press conference. “I am told that the Deputy Chief Minister (Prestone Tynsong) said he would examine the matter but three days have gone by and there has been no action taken by the government.”
The commercial vehicle operators have also complained that they have to pay their vehicle taxes in full even though they have had to bear heavy restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The government should either bring down the cost of petrol, on which they have charged Rs 31 as tax, or increase taxi fares,” Shangpliang asserted.
The strike has had a detrimental effect on farmers, he added, because they have been unable to transport their produce to Shillong and other parts of the state.
The MLA’s Mawsynram constituency is largely rural and the farmers’ broomstick and bay leaf crop there are lying in warehouses because they cannot be moved to market.
“Therefore I request the government not to delay in resolving this problem,” he said, adding that there are also many patients in rural areas who need to come to Shillong for treatment.
The government has said that the fuel tax is necessary for the development of the state, but the Congress legislator questioned on whether this is the right way to go about raising revenue.
“There are many sources of tax from which the state government can generate income and … it is also the duty of the government to be reasonable with regard to the state taxes on fuel,” said Shangpliang.
