Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, June 13 2009:
Inter-state passenger buses are in a position to stop operation for all time owing to the heavy collection of money by outnumber underground outfits and their factions in the form of "tax", revealed president of the All Manipur Inter-State Bus Association, A Budha Luwang today.
Addressing a press conference here at the association office at North AOC today, A Budha said various underground outfits are collecting money from the inter-state bus operators in the form of godown tax, vehicle tax, counter tax, toll tax, goods tax etc.
By doing in this manner, bus operators are spending around Rs 1 lakh in a year.
This above the taxes collected by the Nagaland government while passing through the state along the NH-39 which is also too much, he added.
In the meantime, groups persons numbering around 10 also turned out and collecting taxes in the name of underground outfits.
Not like the undergrounds, their erupted a trend of abducting drivers of the bus and collecting the money.
Under these circumstances, there came a position that to unable to continue the services of the buses if the government takes up measures to check such extortion menaces or reduction of the amount of money collected by the underground outfits at their owned level considering the suffering of the bus operators, he added.
Regarding the imposition of huge unbearable extortion, members of the association also staged a sit-in protest today in front of its office.