Ludhiana: Transporters and taxi operators of Punjab associated with different unions organised a meeting here on Friday to discuss their problems.
They issued a warning to the government not to go ahead with any kind of hike in charges or introduce any new kind of tax for vehicles. Their fears sprang from the unconfirmed reports that the Punjab government was proposing to increase the fees for registration of new and old vehicles. But the government on Friday cleared the air and denied that there was any such proposal. However, the wary taxi and truck operators said it was time the government decreased the registration charges, which were already among the highest in the country, and also addressed their issues of green tax and token tax that were hitting their business.
Tempo, mini truck operators’ welfare association, Punjab, president Baldev Singh said, “There were reports that the state government will increase registration charges for new and old vehicles, but now it is claiming that there is no such proposal, which is a big relief for us. The government must urgently address our worries over the proposal to increase green tax to Rs 75,000, which currently is Rs 1,500. We challenge the government—if it can prove that even a single transporter in the state has made any profit in the past one year, we will happily pay double green tax than the amount proposed. The government must support us by offering special packages.”
Harnek Singh, a transporter, said, “The biggest problem for the transport and taxi operators is the high vehicle registration cost in Punjab as compared with the neighbouring states. We are thankful to the government for assuring that there will be no further hike in registration charges, but this is not enough. The state cabinet should immediately decrease the existing registration charges for commercial and transport vehicles, especially old ones.”
Gurdev Singh, another transporter, said, “We have to pay several types of recurring charges every year to the government, and above this there is renewal of the insurance policy. We also have to spend money on wear and tear of the vehicles. All this expenditure puts a huge burden on us, as there has been no increase in our incomes. We are forced to incur losses and do not have any other livelihood option. If the state government cannot do anything regarding frequent hike in insurance premiums, it can at least waive token tax and give us immediate relief.”