Patiala, July 12

Activists of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) led by senior party leader Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra and transport wing president Parmjit Singh Fazilka today gheraoed New Moti Mehal, private residence of Punjab Chief Minister. They handed over keys of truck, buses and other vehicles for the Chief Minister.

Earlier, activists held a protest march covering several kilometres on trucks, which culminated at YPS Chowk.

Addressing party members on the occasion Prof Chandumajra said the BJP-led Centre Government and Congress-led state government were directly responsible for manifold increase in prices of petroleum products. The Centre was not reducing custom duty on these products, he said Capt Amarinder Singh-led state government had imposed highest VAT in the country on petroleum products, he added. Levying VAT and custom duty together meant Rs 55 per litre tax on petroleum products, he said. Both governments should slash taxes by 50 per cent so that people could get respite upto Rs30 per litre, he added.

After coming to power, Capt Amarinder Singh-led government dissolved truck unions in state, reduced loading charges and increased oil prices manifold, which destroyed the transport sector, he said. More than 40,000 trucks and 65,000 taxis had already been sold in scrap during last four and a half years of the Congress rule in state, he added.

Fazilka said the situation was such that owners of trucks, buses and other transport vehicles were not in position to run them. “So, we decided to handover keys of these vehicles to the Chief Minister,” he added. SDM Charanjit Singh received memorandum from SAD leaders.—TNS