Mizoram Commercial Vehicle Union to Hold 1-Day Agitation, No Indefinite Strike

AIZAWL: The Mizoram Commercial Vehicle Union comprising 11 associations of owners and drivers has withdrawn its indefinite strike against the spurt in fuel prices.

Instead, it has decided on a 12-hour protest on Wednesday, said MCVU president PC Malsawma.

The union had threatened to go on an indefinite strike from October 23 after the state government refused to heed their appeal to bring down fuel prices.

At a press conference here on Tuesday, Malsawma explained that the decision to limit the protest to 12 hours from 6 am to 6 pm was made because public interest needed to be considered.

According to Malsawma, the main reason they decided to extend their indefinite strike to a 12-hour call was because of the conference of the Young Mizo Association (YMA), a powerful civil society organization, and other important church programs.

He explained that the union does not oppose the fair rise in the price of fuel, but this sudden and steep rise is going to shoot up the transport cost, fares, and prices of many commodities, affecting the mass, he said.

The price of petrol has been hiked by the government to Rs 5.56 a liter, while diesel by Rs 7.76 a liter. Malsawma said the decision of the government to hike the prices of petrol and diesel at such a high rate was wrong and unacceptable when commercial vehicles were already facing huge problems due to the pathetic condition of state roads.

Malsawma said the union leaders met Chief Minister Lalduhoma thrice and urged him to reduce the prices of fuels but still no decision has been taken so far. Meanwhile, Aizawl Two-Wheeler Taxi Association-constituent of MCVU did not heed the strike call and operated on Wednesday.

On September 1, the government also increased VAT on petrol by 5.23% to 10% and that on diesel by 16.36% to 18%. In addition, a new tax of Rs2 per liter has been levied on diesel and petrol for social infrastructure and services and another Rs 2 per liter for road maintenance.

Under these circumstances, the MCVU had initially planned to stage an indefinite strike on October 14, but they eventually shelved the plan after the chief minister pleaded with them to maintain patience and await the Cabinet meeting on October 16. Consequently, petrol's price rose to a level of Rs 99.24 per liter from Rs 93.68 per liter, whereas that of diesel expanded from Rs 80.30 per liter to Rs 88.02 per liter.

The union, however, second thought and stated that it would go on an indefinite strike from October 23 since the Cabinet decided not to reduce the prices it had already set for the current fuel prices when it met on October 16. Chief Minister Lalduhoma said the price hike was for the social infrastructure and road maintenance, which he claimed would ultimately help the people.

On Tuesday, Home Minister K Sapdanga also appealed to the union to rescind its proposed strike. He said that the state government would run state-owned buses in the capital, Aizawl when the union goes on strike on Wednesday.

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