Aizawl: A dawn-to-dusk strike by commercial vehicle operators on Wednesday partially affected normal life in Mizoram.
At least 10 organisations of commercial vehicle owners and drivers, under the aegis of Mizoram Commercial Vehicle (MCVU), staged the 12-hour strike from 6 am to 6 pm, demanding reduction in the prices of petrol and diesel, which were hiked on September 1 this year.
Officials said normal life was partially affected in the state’s capital Aizawl and a few other towns as commuters had to face inconvenience as public transport like buses in Aizawl and intra-state cabs remained off the road.
However, inconvenience in transportation was negligible in Aizawl as the state-run buses were operating normally.
Moreover, other public transports like cabs and bike taxis also chose to operate for convenience of the public.
Also Read: Manipur: 6 killed in gun-battle between Indian, Myanmar rebels
No untoward incident was reported from any part of the state during the strike.
The Mizoram government hiked the value-added tax (VAT) on petrol from 5.23 per cent to 10 per cent and from 16.36 per cent to 18 per cent on diesel, which came into effect from September 1.
Apart from the hike in VAT, the government also imposed a new levy of Rs 2 per litre on both diesel and petrol for social infrastructure and services cess, and another Rs 2 per litre each for road maintenance.
Due to these hikes, petrol price was raised from Rs 93.68 to Rs 99.24 per litre, while diesel rate was increased to Rs 88.02 from Rs 80.30 per litre.
MCVU president PC Malsawma said they had repeatedly appealed to the state government and also met Chief Minister Lalduhoma three times, and Taxation Minister Vanlalthlana, urging them to reduce the fuel prices, which they did not pay heed to.
Also Read: Arunachal gets first community-driven museum in West Kameng
He expressed apprehension that the exorbitant increase in fuel prices may lead to a rise in transportation costs and fares affecting the prices of essential commodities, which in turn will be a burden on the general public.
Malsawma said the union considers the government’s decision to hike fuel prices as “inappropriate” at a time when the commercial vehicles have been facing severe inconvenience due to the dilapidated condition of roads and national highways across the state.
The government, however, claimed that the hike was for the welfare and benefit of the people, as revenue collected from fuel will be used for social infrastructure and services, and for road maintenance.