IT Exclusive
The National Socialist Council of Nagalim-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM), which has been engaged in political dialogue with the Government of India since 1997, is reportedly collecting over Rs. 82 lakhs annually from oil tankers plying along NH-37, according to information gathered by Imphal Times.
The collection is reportedly in addition to payments collected from other goods-carrying trucks and passenger vehicles. The total amount could therefore be higher if collections from those vehicles are taken into account.
The circulation of several social media posts by drivers travelling along the 210-kilometre stretch of NH-37 prompted the Imphal Times team to verify reports of the alleged illegal collections.
“Even before the Manipur violence erupted, oil tanker vehicles were sometimes provided security escorts. After the violence, security escorts became mandatory. But when it comes to the payment of unaccounted-for so-called yearly or daily taxes, the presence of security escorts is of no use,” a tanker driver told Imphal Times.
Another driver, who requested anonymity, said that the closure of NH-2 had left transporters largely dependent on NH-37.
“As we start from Imphal to load petroleum products from Silchar, we pay Rs. 20 as an entry fee at the police outpost at Keithelmanbi. Somewhere near Awangkhul, we pay Rs. 500 to an armed group identified as cadres of the NSCN-IM,” the driver said.
“We spend Rs. 520 on the outward journey, and we consider it normal.”
“On the return journey, after loading the petroleum products, we pay Rs. 3,500 to the NSCN-IM and another Rs. 500 to the same outfit at Nungba,” he added.
According to the driver, an oil tanker therefore pays a total of Rs. 4,520 per round trip in such payments along the route.
In addition to these payments, oil tankers plying on NH-37 are reportedly required to pay an annual tax to the NSCN-IM. The annual tax is said to be Rs. 8,000 for six-wheeler tanker trucks and Rs. 15,000 for larger tankers, including 10-wheelers and above.
According to the All Manipur Petroleum Products Transporter Association, at least 75 oil tanker trucks transport petroleum products through the route, at least on a regular basis, under security escort since the beginning of the Manipur crisis. The association said such movements have continued despite disruptions caused by landslides and road blockades.
The tax collections are reportedly made at some locations even in the presence of security personnel.
Records of the association indicate that the total number of oil tanker trucks operating on the route is more than 500, while the number of bullet tankers is around 200.
Based on the reported annual rates, the annual collection from more than 500 oil tanker trucks alone could amount to around Rs. 40 lakh if calculated at the minimum rate of Rs. 8,000 per vehicle. The amount would be higher if larger tankers paying Rs. 15,000 are included.
Similarly, the annual collection from around 200 bullet tankers could amount to approximately Rs. 30 lakh.
When the reported daily or per-trip collections are added to the annual taxes, the total amount collected from oil tanker vehicles operating along NH-37 could exceed Rs. 82 lakh annually, based on the figures available to Imphal Times.
The reported collections raise a larger question: Has the Government of India authorised the NSCN-IM to collect such taxes, effectively allowing the organisation to exercise taxation powers as though it were a government?
