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Aizawl: Commercial vehicle owners in Mizoram have decided to go on an indefinite strike from October 23 demanding reduction in prices of fuel.
The price of petrol has been hiked from Rs 93.93 to Rs 99.24 per litre, while the diesel rate has been increased to Rs 88.02 from Rs 82.62 for a litre from September 1.
The Mizoram government, after a cabinet meeting, on October 17 announced it would not roll back the hike in fuel prices.
Protesting the decision, 11 commercial vehicle owners' associations on Saturday called for the indefinite strike.
Initially, the commercial vehicle owners had decided to go on an indefinite strike from October 14 but withdrew their plan after Chief Minister Lalduhoma requested them to be patient and wait till the cabinet meeting on October 16.
A statement issued by Mizoram Commercial Vehicle Union (MCVU) said that the meeting of the union held on Saturday decided that all commercial vehicles will remain off the roads for an indefinite period from October 23 as the state cabinet had decided not to reduce prices of petrol and diesel by ignoring the promise the chief minister had made to the MCVU and civil society organisations that fuel prices will be reduced.
The MCVU said that the union leaders had on October 11 met Lalduhoma, who urged the union leaders to wait till the cabinet meeting.
Earlier, the union had also acceded to the request of the NGO Coordination Committee (NGOCC), a conglomerate of major civil societies and student organisations, to cancel its proposed strike from October 14 as the chief minister informed the committee that the government was mulling to reduce the fuel prices and that the order hiking fuel prices will be kept in abeyance till the cabinet meeting, the statement said.
The government hiked VAT on petrol from 5.23 per cent to 10 per cent and on diesel from 16.36 per cent to 18 per cent. Apart from VAT hike, the government also imposed a new levy of Rs 2 per litre on both diesel and petrol for social infrastructure and services cess, alongside an additional Rs 2 per litre for road maintenance.
Stating that the hike in fuel prices has affected not only commercial vehicles but also the general public, the MCVU demanded that the prices of petrol and diesel be reduced by Rs 5 per litre each.
Lalduhoma had on October 17 said that his cabinet has affirmed that prices of petrol and diesel, which were hiked on September 1, would not be reduced.
He had claimed that the hike was for social infrastructure and road maintenance, which is for the welfare and benefit of the people.
The chief minister had further claimed that despite the recent VAT hike and new cess, the current prices remain lower than pre-COVID period and three northeastern states -- Assam, Sikkim and Nagaland -- now levy higher prices than Mizoram.