Shillong: A team from a Meghalaya Assembly committee, headed by a Congress legislator, would visit BJP-ruled Gujarat to learn about the Western state’s highly efficient Integrated Check Gates (ICGs).
The team of legislators would be visiting Gujarat for two-days anytime before start of the Budget session of the Assembly slated to begin from March 9, sources said.
Initially, the Meghalaya Assembly formed the Committee in March 25 last year to look into illegal check gates operating in the state and submit its report for necessary action.
The committee is being headed by Lakhmen Rymbui, a Congress legislator. Other members of the committee are Leader of the Opposition from the NCP, Conrad Sangma, Marcuise N Marak (NCP), Ismail R Marak (Independent), Comingone Ymbon (Congress), Paul Lyngdoh (KHNAM), Adviser Pariong (HSPDP), and Metbah Lyngdoh (UDP).
Several state government officers were summoned by the committee and their statements recorded for compilation of the report. The report would be tabled during the current session of the Assembly.
“Gujarat has one of the most viable ICD. It is one of the highest toll gate collectors in the country and the amount runs into billions of rupees annually,” a committee member said.
He said that the technology applied in Gujarat would be closely studied by the members of the committee and there would also be interaction with Gujarat state government officials responsible for the smooth and successful operations of the ICGs.
After their return the team would incorporate some of the “best practices” of Gujarat’s experience in their report for compilation and subsequent submission in the Assembly.
The Assembly committee, meanwhile, is also divided into two sub committee. Marcuise N Marak is looking into allegations of illegal toll collection on National Highway-62 connecting the state’s three district of Garo Hills.
The second sub-committee is being led by Paul Lyngdoh to look into similar allegations of illegal toll collections on National Highway-40 and 44 connecting the state’s Khasi, Jaintia Hills and Ri-Bhoi districts.
The state wants to do away with illegal check gates and set up ICDs to streamline toll collections, in a state where road transport forms the lifeline for import and export of products. The state government has also identified several sites to set up the ICDS.
