Transport organizations impose indefinite economic blockade

A CORRESPONDENT

BOKAJAN: In wake of the recent killing of an Assam truck driver by miscreants in Dimapur on September 22, several transport organizations of Dimapur and Bokajan have called for an indefinite economic blockade and have barred entry of goods trucks and commercial vehicles into Dimapur starting from 7 am of September 29.

The development came after the expiry of a three-day ultimatum to Nagaland government to provide safety and security to truckers entering Nagaland and to compensate the bereaved family of the slain driver and to book the perpetrators at the earliest, the indefinite economic blockade was clamped at the inter-State check gates at Dillai and New Field Check Gate at Lahorijan in Assam-Nagaland border.

Earlier, the five transport associations had on September 24, served a three-day ultimatum on the State Government to resolve the various problems faced by truckers in Dimapur against the backdrop of the killing of a truck driver identified as Jiten Gogoi of Dhemaji near the IMC Hall Dimapur at around 2.30 a.m on September 22.

The associations warned that in the event of failure by the State Government to resolve the problems faced by truckers in Dimapur within three days, they would be compelled to impose indefinite economic blockade by restricting entry of all goods trucks into Dimapur.

On expiry of the three-day deadline on Tuesday, the associations informed that they would go ahead with their indefinite economic blockade w.e.f. Tuesday morning since there had been no positive response from the government of Nagaland over their demands.

The transport associations are demanding that there must be an end of the present multiple taxation system that is imposed by various underground groups active in Dimapur. Presently, there are around seven underground groups (excluding Kuki insurgents) that collect illegal tax from the truckers entering Nagaland and it goes on until the trucks reach Manipur.

They also demanded that there the 'lease system' practised at the Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) gate must be ended. As per the present p;ractice there, entry and parking tax is collected from the trucks entering Nagaland.

Under the present system, the DMC leases out these gates to private parties through tendering and those private parties (lessees) which run these gates are allegedly the root cause of the entire problem. The lessees are allegedly involved in passing details of goods vehicles to miscreants in return for some commission — and that is where the problem arises.

The transporters also demanded that the Nagaland government must provide compensation to the family of Jiten Gogoi — who was the lone bread earner of the family.

The Public Action Committee (PAC) Dimapur on September 26, 2020 had also served a 10-day ultimatum on the district administration and police to identify and book the miscreants responsible for the killing of the truck driver and also make public the report of the investigation, failing which, it would be compelled to resort to its own course of action.

On September 26, Dimapur police had reportedly arrested one person in connection with the killing of driver Jiten Gogoi. However, the police are maintaining secrecy and are unwilling to divulge details of the arrested person as investigation is on.

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