Aizawl: The Mizoram Commercial Vehicles Union (MCVU) announced on Saturday that it will hold an indefinite strike starting October 23, in protest of the rising fuel prices in the state.
The union made this decision during a meeting, citing frustration over the state government’s failure to lower fuel prices. They emphasized that the strike was being held on behalf of the Mizo people, who are struggling with the high costs of petrol and diesel.
MCVU revealed that they had previously held meetings with the NGO Coordination Committee (NGOCC). The NGOCC had informed them that Chief Minister Lalduhoma assured them of a revoke order regarding the increase in fuel prices. Following this, the NGOCC appealed to the vehicle union leaders to postpone the strike while waiting for the revoke order. MCVU heeded this appeal at the time.
On October 10, MCVU leaders met with Chief Minister Lalduhoma, who informed them that the revoke order had already been released and that he was hopeful oil prices would decrease after the cabinet meeting scheduled for October 16. However, despite these assurances, the union expressed disappointment with the lack of action on the part of the government.
Just last week, MCVU had stated that they would withdraw their decision to strike from Monday, following their meeting with Chief Minister Lalduhoma. During the second week of October, the leaders of MCVU had met the chief minister, who requested them to wait until the October 16 cabinet meeting. In the meeting, it was agreed that the chief minister would inform the state PWD and construction companies to expedite repairs on the most damaged sections of national highways and intrastate highways. However after the cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister informed media persons that the government remains firm on its stand to hike fuel prices.
The Mizoram government had hiked the price of fuels by Rs 4 per litre each from September 1, imposing a new levy of Rs 2 per litre on both diesel and petrol for social infrastructure and services cess, along with an additional Rs 2 per litre for road maintenance.
The union, representing the concerns of commercial vehicle owners and drivers, stated that they can no longer wait for the government to address these issues. Consequently, they have decided to proceed with the indefinite strike beginning October 23.
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