Commercial vehicle operators threaten to go on hunger strike

Commercial vehicle operators inMeghalaya have threatened that they would go for an indefinitehunger strike if the state government chose to turn a deaf earon their demand for reducing the prices of petrol and diesel.

This decision was taken at a meeting of the MeghalayaJoint Action Committee of Commercial Vehicle (MJACCV) heldhere on Saturday.

A 48-hour statewide agitation was also announced to beheld on February 15.

''If the government continues to be adamant in itsattitude even after February 15, we will have no other optionbut to go for an indefinite hunger strike in front of thesecretariat,'' chairman of the MJACCV Wandonbok Jyrwa toldreporters after the meeting.

Commercial vehicles have remained off the road fromFebruary 3, to protest against the rising petrol and dieselprices.

''We demand that the government immediately reduce theprices of petrol and diesel as this would eventually addressthe skyrocketing prices of essential commodities, which hasaffected the common man to a larger extent,'' Jyrwa said.

''Our demand is not for hiking the passenger fare butfor revising the passenger fare in case the government ishesitant to reduce the petrol and diesel prices. Apart fromthis, we also want a 50 per cent reduction in the vehicletaxes during the COVID-19 lockdown period,'' he added.

The state government had earlier this week reduced taxon petrol and diesel by Rs 2 per litre.