The 4-day transport strike has crippled life in the state. Thousands of people who rely on public transport for daily commute and for transporting their goods to the market have been rendered immobile thereby adding to the economic pain caused by the pandemic. The Covid protocol required that commercial vehicles limit passenger intake to maintain social distancing. Over and above that, the odd-even arrangement has reduced the number of days that commercial vehicles can ply to only three days a week. Government decided to relax the odd-even arrangement only after the commercial vehicles decided to go on strike post the hike in fuel (petrol and diesel) prices. Since taxi fares are regulated by Government it leaves the commercial vehicle owners and drivers at a grave disadvantage. They had no other option but to go on strike. That was their last option.
On February 5, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong had asked the Joint Action Committee of Commercial Vehicles (JACCV) to withdraw their indefinite strike. The demand of the JACCV is that the State Government reduce the petrol and diesel tariff. Tynsong had said that the revision of tariffs is not simple or so easily reversed because prices fluctuate every day depending on the dollar versus rupee exchange rate. Of late the rupee value has gone down vis a vis the dollar hence the steep hike in petrol and diesel rates. The JACCV has been asking Government to reduce excise duties so that the price of fuel comes down a notch or two. As of Sunday petrol was selling at Rs.90.85 a litre.
Responding to the crisis caused by the strike of commercial vehicles and the public inconvenience caused by the ongoing strike which is not restricted to Shillong but has spread to other districts as well, the MDA Government has responded by offering a rebate of Rs 2 per litre from the tax component of the retail price of petrol and diesel which will be effective from Monday February 8, to maintain a price differential with Assam.
Taxi fares were last hiked in January 2020. A second hike within a year would result in public uproar and also have a cascading effect on the price of essential commodities since the state relies heavily on road transport for ferrying people and goods to and from different corners of the state to the district headquarters and to the state capital. Hopefully the strike will be called off after this Government climb- down.