MCVU serves ultimatum to Govt

SHILLONG, OCT 18: Meghalaya Commercial Vehicles’ Union (MCVU) today served a one-week deadline to the state government to take action against trucks coming from outside the state without necessary permit.

At the same time, the Union has also slammed the autonomous district councils (ADCs) in Khasi-Jaintia Hills region for failing to protect the interest of the indigenous people by allowing trucks from outside the state plying without trading license.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, MCVU president Handle Mukhim said the Union will be compelled to take stern decision, if the state government fails to address the problem within one week.

He informed that the decision was taken after there has been no sign of action taken by the transport department against the trucks from outside which are plying on the state national highways without getting permit even after repeated requests made on several occasions.

The delegation of the MCVU had for the past three months met the Commissioner Secretary of the State Transport Authority (STA), Deputy Commissioner of STA and DTO enforcement for their necessary intervention into the matter.

“They (officials) have given their commitment to us that immediate checking on such trucks would be conducted once the Puja holidays are over but unfortunately till now nothing has been done in this regard,” Mukhim said.

Maintaining that they are not against trucks with valid documents, he however said but the fact is that though these trucks may have obtained the national permit but most of them do not have regional, special or local permit to ply in the state.

According to him, the failure of the department to regulate the entry of these trucks from outside the state have to a great extent affected the livelihood opportunity of the indigenous truck owners who most of them are compelled to keep their vehicles off the road.

He also said that while the indigenous truck owners are made to pay professional tax to the KHADC and JHADC, the trucks coming from outside the state not only that they don’t pay the professional tax but are also plying in the state without obtaining the trading license.

Also lambasting at the failures of the two ADCs in taking action on the matter, Mukhim said, “If the Trading by Non-Tribal Regulation Act, 1959 is not implemented in letter and spirit to protect the interest of the indigenous people, then it would be better that we do away with the district council.”

Asked, he said with the ongoing ban of coal mining by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), most of trucks owned by local people are engaging in transporting of cement from the factories located at East Jaintia Hills District.

However another problem faced by the local truck owners is the sudden reducing of the transportation cost which has dropped from Rs 1100 – Rs 1400 to just Rs 800 – Rs 850 per trip, he said.

“It is also a concern that the transport department has not revise the rate of the transportation cost since 2005,” he said while reiterating that if the government fails to address the problem, then it would be like it is inviting the union to take the law in its own hand.

By Our Reporter