TURA: The All Garo Hills Construction Material Suppliers and Workers Association (AGHCMSWA) along with the Exporters’ Association of Dalu (EAD) recently sought answers from Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on the plying of boulder trucks from Bhutan to Bangladesh on Garo Hills routes.
The associations sought answers as to why the same was being done when Bhutan is closer to West Bengal or Dhubri. The associations also said that the export of boulders could have been done either from Mankachar or Mahendraganj and questioned why the current route is being allowed to be used.
Pointing out that these trucks are not weighed although there are weight bridges along the route, the associations questioned why they are being exempted when the same is mandatory for local trucks. The associations also claimed that the trucks are being exempted from paying any kind of road tax and questioned why it was so.
“We as citizens are paying GST for every business we take up. We are plying our vehicles after paying road tax. But Bhutan being a foreign country is being exempted from these taxes,” they said.
Pointing out that the reckless driving by these trucks were posing a threat to the general public as well as damaging the roads from the region, the associations resolved to take measures to stop their plying while at the same seeking the Chief Minister’s intervention on the matter.
