Law enforcement in Assam : requisition vehicles, don't pay! By a Staff Reporter GUWAHATI, March 24: Depression grips a group of educated - mostly unemployed - youths as they are yet to get Rs 31,000 for their two Tata Sumo taxis requisitioned by the Army even after a year and two months have passed from the date of requisition. They have made all the formal efforts but in vain. Motivated by the spirit of self employment, 32 youths formed a cooperative society under the name Gana Mancha Carriage and Tour Operators' Cooperative Society Limited with its office at Kanwachal Path, Silpukhuri, Guwahati and they started business from November 2001. In January and February 2002, one of their vehicles was requisitioned for 14 days by the district authority at Silchar for the use of the Army at Siber Post. Another car was requisitioned twice from September 4 to 19 and again from November 11 to 14, 2002 for the use of 18 Bn Sikh Regiment, Kamalpur. In both cases they submitted their bills immediately after the requisition period was over, but are yet to get the payment.
"We have to pay Rs 13,000 per month to the private financing company and just to maintain a taxi on a no profit basis it requires approximately Rs 23,500 per month. If a car is requisitioned for one month we get Rs 6,600 only from the authority concerned which is not a proper payment, said Kushal Kumar Sarmah, one of the three share holders of the cooperative society. "While according to the Assam Requisition and Control of Vehicle's Act, 1968 the compensation determined by the authority should be reasonable and should be paid to the owner within six months from the date of requisition, the authority itself is violating rules," complained Hemanta Sarma, a member of the society. He also said that the Army has no right to requisition vehicles directly but only through the district administration, but this is happening in Assam. "It is not that people are against requisition if it is properly paid for and informed two or three days in advance so that the owner can complete the maintenance work of the vehicles if required," he added. It is now high time that the Government announced a clear-cut policy on requisition and on the rate of payment. The public has a right to know whether all vehicles are requisitioned lawfully and whether the vehicles are actually used "for the purposes essential to the life of the community" or are misused, said Kumar Bhaskarjyoti, another member of the society. Since the Government cannot provide employment to all the unemployed youths of the State, it should provide them a congenial atmosphere where they can do something peacefully to establish themselves, said Prity Prakash Dev Sarmah, a member of the society. _______________________________________________ Assam mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam
