IMPHAL, May 10: In a lease of relief for passengers, the cease work strike of passenger service including auto rickshaw, Tata Magic, Winger, 407 Tata and DI Tata under the Joint Administrative Council of All Manipur (under 5 ton) Passenger Service has been suspended following an agreement reached with the government.
The agreement was brought during a meeting between representatives of the JAC and government which was held at the office chamber of Transport Minister Dr Kh Ratankumar Singh at Old Secretariat this evening at 4.
The meeting was convened following a notice served by Director (Transport) H Rosita to convener of the JAC L Somorendro Singh today.
In the meeting, the government side was led by the Minister, Commissioner (Transport), Director and Deputy Director while the JAC was represented by its convener.
The government assured that one-time collection of token tax and passenger tax from passenger vehicles (under 5 ton) will not be levied anymore.
However, after much deliberation, both the sides agreed to apply one-time collection of token tax from coming September.
The meeting also agreed to newly revise passenger fare which has not been revised since 2008 till date prior to the effect of the one-time collection.
Speaking to this daily after the end of the meeting, JAC convener L Somorendro expressed gratitude to MLA of Thangmeiband constituency Kh Joykishan and those associations and civil society organizations for supporting the agitation launched by the JAC.
He regretted inconveniences caused to passengers during the course of the agitation.
It may be mentioned that the cease work strike of passenger service began from May 6 midnight in protest against the government’s decision to levy one-time collection of tax from passenger service (under 5 ton) for 15 years.
During the agitation, passengers had to face intense hardship in daily transportation.