BENGALURU: Truck operators staged a protest in front of the Regional Transport Office (RTO) at Shantinagar in the city on Thursday against the government’s decision to collect lifetime tax from commercial vehicles. The deadline for paying lifetime tax ended on August 31.
Early today morning, the transporters parked over 250 commercial vehicles along KH Double Road in Shantinagar to demand the government to repeal the decision. They even blocked the road for some time.
The truckers pointed out that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy had held a meeting last week with representatives of 32 union of autorickshaw, taxi and bus operators, but they had not been invited. They had been promised another meeting by August 30, but that has not happened, they said. “We will not pay lifetime tax at any cost, instead we will surrender our vehicles at the RTO”, they said.
The truck owners said, “We will not remove our vehicles if the problem is not resolved. There are more than 6,000 goods vehicles in Bengaluru and more than six lakh vehicles across the state. From tomorrow, we will start parking our vehicles in front of all RTOs”, they warned.
Federation Of Karnataka State Lorry Owners And Agents Association president Shanmugappa said, ” Today was the last day to pay lifetime tax and if we move our vehicles, we will have to pay penalties. There is no such rule of collecting lifetime tax from commercial vehicles anywhere in the country and the government should withdraw it. Previously, we used to pay Rs 8,000 annually towards road tax, but now the government wants us to pay Rs 80,000 in one go. If the issue is not resolved, we will launch a statewide agitation from tomorrow and we will not be responsible for disturbance in law and order”, he warned.
Later, Transport Commissioner Yogesh A M met the protesting transporters and assured them of taking up the issue with the Transport minister. Leaders of 32 transporters’ unions took part in the protest. Due to the protest, traffic flow was affected around Shantinagar TTMC for some time. The police had made elaborate security arrangements in view of the protest.
Autos sport black flags
Autorickshaws in the city are protesting against the government’s indecision on banning of bike taxis by sporting black flags. Though the issue is in court, the government has not told the court about its plans to ban bike taxis, autorickshaw unions contend.
If the government does not relent, the autorickshaw unions plan to write to the governor and seek mercy killing.