Transporters demand
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 08 2015:
All Manipur Inter State and Allied Transport Association has submitted a memorandum to Transport Minister Dr Kh Ratankumar pressing different demands.
The transporters' body, formerly known as All Manipur Inter States Bus Association demanded the Minister to complete and open ISBT, Khuman Lampak at the earliest.
The memorandum said that the State Government and people of Manipur would admit the urgent need for opening ISBT.
Everybody knows that ISBT complex has become a den for drug addicts, prostitutes and illegal activities, it added.
Saying that the association has 20 members and each member has 5-10 buses/wingers operating passenger services to Dimapur, Guwahati and Shillong etc, the memorandum demanded that a counter each be allotted to these 20 members and an office to the association at ISBT complex.
Informing that all the members have separate ticket counters at North AOC, the memorandum further said that the association has been reeling under untold miseries due to illegal collection of money at ticket counters and on the highways.
The transporters also sometimes face harassments, tortures and even death on the highways, the memorandum added.
As such, the transporters' body also demanded the Minister to relax tax and increase bus fares by introducing a Bill during the upcoming Assembly session.
Maintaining that it is not right to hike road taxes for heavy and light vehicles at this point of time as passenger services were suspended for a long period of time due to strikes, agitations, bandhs and blockades this year and transporters have been facing huge financial burdens in repaying loans.