By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Mussoorie, 13 Nov: Opposition to the cess imposed on the people in Mussoorie by the State Government has begun. The Mussoorie Mazdoor Union held a press conference here, today, and expressed its resolve to resist it.
Addressing media persons, labour leaders said that, at a programme organised at Gandhi Chowk, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has announced a cess on tourists visiting Mussoorie to provide free transport facilities here. They said that government’s decision was completely impractical as rickshaws had been operating since the British era. They said providing free transport facilities to tourists would affect the livelihood of rickshaw operators, which would not be tolerated. They said that rickshaws had been operating under the Nagar Palika Parishad, but such a tax had never been imposed on tourists in Mussoorie.
He said that the government wanted to keep rickshaw drivers on an honorarium, but they did not want this. If the government brought any plan to provide better facilities to the tourists in the city, the Mussoorie Mazdoor Union and Municipal administration ought to also be made aware of the scheme. They threatened to agitate if this was not done.
Present on the occasion were Balwant Singh Negi, Devi Godiyal, Bhagwan Singh Chauhan, Atar Singh Panwar, Mahipal Singh, Gajendra Dhodiyal, Sanjay Tamta, Soban Singh Pawar, etc.
