NONGSTOIN, Jan 31: An already vexed lot of cabbies in Nongstoin have now spoken up against the alleged exorbitant and illegal collection of parking fee by the Nongstoin Town Committee here in West Khasi Hills.
With fresh criticism against the hike in parking fee from Rs 10 to Rs 20 sparking now, the local taxi owners have expressed dissatisfaction with the Committee stating that despite raising this issue on several occasions, the NTC has not responded till date.
The Committee reportedly does not own parking space in the area but it collects revenue from the vehicle owners that park their vehicles on PWD roads.
Now, the local taxi drivers/owners claim that despite paying the yearly road tax of over Rs 2,000 to the Transport department, which includes charges for using public roads for parking, they have to pay an extra Rs 20 per day for parking on PWD roads — this amounts to more than Rs 6,000 a year for a single vehicle.
Asked, a local driver, Shanbor Nongbri, told The Shillong Times that before lockdown, they paid an amount of Rs 10 per day as parking fees; but the NTC in its recent order doubling the rate.
This decision has become a burden to all the drivers, Nongbri rued.
He alleged that the NTC has extorted livelihoods of the local cabbies.
Elucidating further, the driver informed that parking on PWD roads does not ensure safety to their vehicles.
If vehicles are damaged or parts stolen, the NTC does not claim any responsibility, he added.
“If the NTC possessed a parking space in places such as New Nongstoin Market Complex or Mandijo parking lot, it can charge whatever rates they wanted. But paying parking fees even after paying road tax is a burden for the drivers,” another cabbie, Rigid Dkhar, said, while adding that the local taxi drivers have urged the concerned authorities to solve this issue as early as possible.
