Naga Hoho decries COVID-19 cess on fuel in Nagaland

Newmai News Network
DIMAPUR, May 5: The Naga Hoho on Tuesday expressed its resentment over the Nagaland Government’s decision to impose a "COVID-19 Cess" on the prices of fuel. The Naga Hoho termed this decision of the Nagaland government as "anti-people measure".
"While acknowledging the sincere efforts of the state government to contain the spread of the pandemic in the state, it is regretted to note that the decision to impose cess would largely impact the consumers of the state," said the Naga Hoho.
It then said, "While the government is expected to ease the suffering of the general public arising out of the sudden lockdown, it has rather acted in a manner that would make the lives more miserable due to the steep hike in the petroleum products".
Terming it as "thoughtless decision,", the Naga Hoho said the decision to impose cess would encourage illegal activities like hoarding of goods by "unscrupulous" business people which would ultimately result in significant rise in the prices. "In the name of fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, the state government is better advised to desist from adopting such anti-people measures," the Naga Hoho also stated. The Naga Hoho, "strongly" urged the state government to roll back its decision to impose Covid-19 cess on fuel.