User charges irk Jammuties

Traders, commoners aghast over NHAI proposal

4/6/2015  

Nitesh Sangral

Early Times Report 

Jammu, Apr 5: Jammuities criticized the proposed move of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to levy user charges on vehicles plying on Jammu-Lakhanpur and Jammu-Udhampur stretch. They have described it as anti- Jammu and antii-people. They alleged that government has been taking Rs. 2 per litre on petrol and diesel for road maintenance, clearly shows common fleeced by the NHAI.

However, the authority of NHAI claimed that the amount collected on petrol and diesel is not enough to maintain National Highway. The NHAI received only eight thousands crore for maintenance.

Sources raised some questions on the move of NHAI toward toll tax, the huge amount collected per day by cess Rs 2 on petrol and diesel from Kashmir to Kanya Kumari, where the amount collected is going? Why authority isn't using total amount collected in the name of four lane maintenance? Something is fishy in the entire episode," sources alleged and said this is completely an eye wash and the common masses are being fleeced.

Opposing the levy of toll tax at Ban Talab, State president Jammu Kashmir National Panthers Party, Balwant Singh Mankotia said NHAI is clearly fleecing the common masses on toll tax in the name of user charges or maintenance of the roads but the fact is that, the government has been taking cess of Rs 2 on every litre petrol and diesel for the four lane roads and is now seeking toll tax.

Pertinently, political leaders along with people and various organizations related to tourism opposed the toll tax. They maintain that the tourists and the locals are already suffering due to the levy of the heavy toll-tax at Lakhanpur and further tax on the goods carriers will have adverse and deleterious effect on the tourism in the state especially in Jammu region.

An official of NHAI of Jammu, RP Singh said that these were user charges of road and people have to pay. "Annually only 8 thousand crore revived by NHAI for national highway maintenance throughout the country, from which amount collected through cess of petrol/diesel (Rs. 2 per liter) from Kashmir to Kanay Kumari, "he added.

He further said that, if we would talk about the Jammu and Kashmir expenditure on the national highway roads, its 2 thousands crore annually, so that NHAI taking toll tax for meet the expenditure of roads and its maintenance too.