SHILLONG, Feb 13: Miffed with the ongoing strike of the commercial vehicle drivers who are showing no signs of relenting, the Meghalaya government on Saturday said that it would explore the possibilities of issuing additional permits to people who are willing to start taxi services.
Taking a tough stand on the strike, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said that the government will reach out to people interested in operating taxis if the Meghalaya Joint Action Committee of Commercial Vehicles (MJACCV) refuses to call their agitation off.
“The government has many options. If the joint committee is adamant and refuses to cooperate, we will have to weigh the option of issuing additional permits for resuming the taxi services,” he told reporters here.
Reiterating that the MJACCV’s demands were being examined, Tynsong recalled the government’s decision to slash the tax on petrol and diesel by Rs. 2 per litre.
“We will again have a meeting of the Taxation, Finance and other departments concerned next week to see if we can further bring down the price of petrol and diesel,” he said.
He said the government would try to ensure that the prices of fuel in the state are lower than in Assam, which reduced the prices of petrol and diesel by Rs. 5 per litre from Friday midnight.
Tynsong urged the MJACCV to call off their indefinite strike in view of the hardships faces by the general public for more than a week now.
He also advised the teachers not to be carried away by the 31 per cent tax being collected from petrol and diesel since the revenue of Rs. 350-400 crore generated is ploughed primarily into education.
“The government has to budget about Rs. 1,200 crore for the education sector annually. The teachers can always file RTI if they feel the cess being collected goes to the pocket of the ministers. We must not forget that the annual expenditure of the government is audited by the CAG, whose report becomes a public document once tabled in the Assembly,” Tynsong said.