Aizawl, Oct 22 (PTI) Mizoram Commercial Vehicle Union, a conglomerate of 11 commercial vehicle owner and driver associations, has revoked its decision to hold an indefinite strike to protest fuel price hike and opted for a 12-hour agitation on Wednesday instead, the MCVU president said.
The union had previously announced that they would go on strike for an indefinite period starting from October 23 after the state government did not listen to its repeated appeals to reduce fuel prices.
At a press conference in Aizawl on Tuesday, MCVU president PC Malsawma announced that they have decided to stay off the road for only 12 hours between 6 am and 6 pm on Wednesday instead of an indefinite period due to the concern for the general public.
The main reason for backtracking their decision from an indefinite strike to a 12-hour strike was due to the conference of upcoming conference of the Young Mizo Association (YMA), an influential civil society organisation, and important church programmes, he said.
Malsawma said that the union did not unreasonably oppose normal increase in fuel prices, but the sudden and exorbitant hike may lead to a rise in transportation costs, fares and prices of various commodities, which in turn will affect the general public.
The government raised the price of petrol by Rs 5.56 per litre and that of diesel by Rs 7.76 per litre.
“We believe that the government’s decision to hike prices of petrol and diesel at such an exorbitant rate is inappropriate and unacceptable at a time when commercial vehicles face severe inconvenience due to the dilapidated condition of roads across the state,” Malsawma said.
He said that the union leaders had earlier met Chief Minister Lalduhoma three times urging him to reduce the fuel prices, but no action was taken.
Meanwhile, the Aizawl Two-Wheeler Taxi Association (ATTA), which is part of the MCVU, has backed out of the decision and said that they will operate on Wednesday.
The government hiked VAT on petrol from 5.23 per cent to 10 per cent and on diesel from 16.36 per cent to 18 per cent, which came into effect on September 1.
Apart from the VAT hike, the government also imposed a new levy of Rs 2 per litre on both diesel and petrol for social infrastructure and services cess and another Rs. 2 per litre each for road maintenance.
Accordingly, petrol price has been raised from Rs 93.68 to Rs 99.24 per litre, while diesel rate has been increased to Rs 88.02 from Rs 80.30 for a litre.
Initially, the MCVU had announced an indefinite strike from October 14, but they withdrew their plan after the chief minister requested them to be patient and wait till a Cabinet meeting on October 16.
Subsequently, the union reconsidered its decision and decided to go on strike for an indefinite period starting from October 23 as the cabinet decided not to roll back and continue with the existing fuel prices in its meeting on October 16.
Lalduhoma claimed that the hike was for social infrastructure and road maintenance, which is for the welfare and benefit of the people.
Home Minister K Sapdanga also on Tuesday appealed to the union to cancel its proposed strike.
He said that the government will operate state-owned buses within the state capital Aizawl during the strike on Wednesday. PTI CORR NN
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