JTTA protest state move for additional tax from trucks registered in other states

Mail News Service

 Gamharia, July 15:  The Saraikela unit of Jamshedpur Truck Trailer Owners’ Association (JTTOA) held a protest meeting at the Lal Building Chowk in Gamharia, against the state government’s move to impose additional tax on trucks and trailers registered in other states for entering Jharkhand. The JTTOA members contended that the government measure to charge additional tax in spite of the vehicles having National Permits, was arbitrary and would adversely affect truckers.

Referring to the notification issued by the Secretary of the Transport Department, Manish Kumar, a member of the Saraikela unit of JTTOA said that the commercial vehicles registered in other states had all required documents including National Permits but, in spite of it all, orders had been issued to pay Jharkhand tax for trucks and trailers registered in other states.  Manish Kumar said, “After this notification issued by the Secretary of Jharkhand Transport Department, the District Transport Officers (DTO) and Motor Vehicle Inspectors (MVI) in all Jharkhand districts, in keeping with the directives, are imposing penalties ranging between Rs 22 lakh to Rs 28 lakh that are arbitrary and truckers are being confronted with such nature of financial harassment. This form of harassment is forcing transporters in Jharkhand to migrate to other states.”

Manish Kumar further stated that on earlier occasions too, tax filing was done online but erroneous systems saw truckers being directed pay taxes again or else their trucks and trailers were black-listed. Members of the Jharkhand Truck and Trader Association and affiliates like JTTOA, demanded the withdrawal of this arbitrary move of the State government’s Transport Department. Manish Kumar warned, “If the Jharkhand government does not withdraw this directive, transporters will organize sit-in protest in the entire state.”

Those present at the demonstration included JTTOA Saraikela unit members Paras Prajapati, Minhaz Khan, Pramod Pandey, Pintu Singh, Amarjeet Kumar, Navjyot Singh, Prakash Kumar, Ajay Nandi, Nasir Alam, Umesh Prasad, Ajay Kumar and several others.