SHILLONG: Four Congress MLAs – HM Shangpliang, PT Sawkmie, George Lyngdoh and Kimfa Marbaniang – have shot off a letter to the chief minister lamenting the decision of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) to levy a transit fee of Rs 4500 for traders dealing in broomsticks.
In their letter, the MLAs said that the decision to levy transit fee has led to a crisis in the broomstick market as traders who are supplying broomstick have stopped purchasing it from farmers.
The legislators asked the chief minister to coordinate with the KHADC and remove the obstacle faced by the farmers besides asking the Council to refrain from collecting the transit pass since the government has already waived of tax on the produce.
CEM against middlemen
Peeved at the decline in broomstick export owing to alleged high taxes imposed by KHADC, the CEM, Titosstarwell Chyne, seems to be preparing for taking on the challenge posed by the middlemen.
Responding to reports of broomstick growers’ plight because of glut in the market, he encouraged local traders to procure broomstick from local farmers rather than to depend on middlemen only for the supply chain outside the state.
It may be mentioned that the middlemen had refused to buy the broomstick of the farmers/producers asserting that the rate of transit pass issued by the KHADC was exorbitant.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Chyne said, “If the middlemen feel they are indispensable, it is time we encourage our local people to also buy products of the farmers”. He also said that the transit pass issued by the KHADC will cost the traders Rs 36 paise for a kilo of broomstick. The farmers and traders meet at the Mawiong Regulated Market.
Asserting that the traders are not paying a good price for the broomstick, he said that the farmers/producers of broomstick are not complaining anything yet.
Sounding annoyed, he questioned the categorization of broomstick as 1, 2 and 3 by traders depending on the quality.
“There is no minimum support price for the broomstick which will be a loss for the farmers”, he said.
To pursue the matter further, Chyne said that KHADC MDCs will meet the Agriculture Minister and the Forest Department on Wednesday.
