The youth wing of the Voice of the People Party (VPP) has called for fair transportation charges and equal work opportunities for local truck operators in the coke transportation in East Jaintia Hills.
Seeking the intervention of Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, the VPP youth wing referred to the issue raised by the Meghalaya Commercial Truck Owners and Drivers Association, Jaintia unit.
According to the VPP youth wing, the local truck operators are facing unfair charges in the transportation of coke in East Jaintia Hills district.
“The current rates do not reflect the actual cost borne by local truck operators,” the youth wing of the VPP stated in its letter to Tynsong.
According to the youth wing the association has proposed revised rates for each coke factory location, calculated based on realistic factors such as fuel costs, road conditions, and other essential expenses. They have also provided a fair alternative rate based on a government-prescribed formula.
Alleging discriminatory work allocation, the VPP youth wing stated that trucks registered under the ownership of local residents from the Khasi-Jaintia and other indigenous communities are allegedly being overlooked in work allotments.
The VPP pointed out that the association has proposed a “Simple Serial Number System” to ensure transparency and equal work distribution among all registered trucks.
