SHILLONG: The demand for a blanket toll exemption for locally registered vehicles at the Pasyih/Ialong Toll Plaza on NH-6 has escalated into a major confrontation between the Jaintia National Council (JNC) Western Zone and the district administration, after an FIR was lodged against the organisation at the Phremer Traffic Cell, West Jaintia Hills.
The FIR stems from the JNC Western Zone’s sustained campaign against toll collection from vehicles bearing ML-04 and ML-11 registration numbers — the official RTO codes for West Jaintia Hills and East Jaintia Hills districts. Led by President Shri Hamehi Bamon, the organisation has been actively preventing toll authorities from collecting fees from these vehicles, arguing that indigenous residents of the Jaintia Hills region should not be made to pay toll charges within their own homeland.
Speaking to reporters, Bamon revealed that he was summoned by the Phremer Traffic Cell earlier today in connection with the FIR. During his appearance before the Officer-in-Charge, he was informed that the Deputy Commissioner of West Jaintia Hills had already issued an order on March 17, 2026, granting toll exemption to ML-04 registered private vehicles belonging to eight villages located near the toll plaza — Ialong, Pasyih, Phremer, SabahMutwang, Muthlong, Mookaswan, Nangbah, and Mihmyntdu.
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Police officials also reportedly cautioned the JNC that physically obstructing toll operations was unlawful and must stop immediately.
However, the JNC Western Zone has strongly rejected the Deputy Commissioner’s order, describing it as discriminatory and divisive for limiting the exemption to only a select group of villages while excluding the wider population of both Jaintia Hills districts.
“This order divides the people of Jaintia Hills. We will not accept any partial solution. Our demand is clear — all vehicles registered under ML-04 and ML-11 must be fully exempted from toll payment. Anything less is unacceptable,” Bamon asserted.
The organisation has now sought an urgent meeting with the Deputy Commissioner, demanding either the cancellation or amendment of the March 17 order to extend toll exemption to all ML-04 and ML-11 registered vehicles. The council warned that failure to address the issue could trigger an intensified public agitation involving residents from both West and East Jaintia Hills.
Apart from the exemption issue, the JNC also questioned the very legitimacy of the toll plaza, arguing that the road existed long before the toll gate was established and that no visible improvement in infrastructure or road quality has taken place since toll collection began.
“The road was here before the toll plaza came. After it came, nothing changed — the road is the same. The quality of construction and the scale of fees charged simply do not match,” Bamon stated, reiterating that the organisation had opposed the toll plaza from the outset.
In a defiant message directed at the authorities, Bamon declared that the movement would continue regardless of legal action against him.
“You can arrest me or lock me up, but the demand of the people must be fulfilled. This is not about me or the council — this is the voice of our communities,” he said.
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He also criticised the conduct of toll plaza employees, alleging that many non-tribal workers stationed at the plaza fail to understand the financial burden imposed on local commuters.
“They ask us what the difficulty is in paying ₹30 or ₹40, but they do not understand that locals cross this plaza several times a day, often for short distances. For ordinary people, this becomes a daily financial burden,” Bamon remarked.
The JNC Western Zone further announced that its Executive Committee, along with Central Executive Committee leaders, will soon convene to decide the organisation’s next course of action. The council warned that if the administration remains unresponsive, it is prepared to launch a larger protest movement, including demonstrations in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office.