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| BJP led Municipal Committee imposes road tax in Lakhanpur | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Nov 19: After the abolition of Lakhanpur toll plaza Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) leaders had claimed that decades old “Jazia” imposed by Kashmir centric governments has been abolished but now the Municipal Committee Lakhanpur has started a new tax regime, with imposition of tax on vehicles passing through a link road.
Locals of Kathua as well as other nearby villages, have been using a link road, which bypassed the newly established toll plaza at Lakhanpur, for the past many years. The link road passes from Jammu-Pathankot National Highway at Lakhanpur’ main market stand and though Garib Basti it again joins the National Highway at Basohli Morh.
Since the setting up of Lakhanpur toll plaza, hundreds of vehicles have been using this route. Locals had approached the Municipal Committee Lakhanpur to stop the inflow of vehicles through this link road.
The MC authorities initially put some barricades but from November 17 onwards the Municipal Committee imposed a tax on the vehicles plying on this link road.
As per the men deputed to collect the toll, only the vehicles with registration numbers from district Kathua have been exempted. From personal cars Rs 20, for load carrier Rs 50 and for a truck or bus Rs 100 are charged by the Municipal Committee, which is controlled by Bhartiya Janta Party. “When the alleged Jazia was abolished at Lakhanpur, the BJP had celebrated across the country but now its own local units have started imposing tax on link roads, is it not Jazia?”, a vehicle owner from Samba district said, adding that following the same process, all the municipal units falling along National Highway, including Hiranagar, Samba, Vijaypur, Bari Brahmana, could also impose road tax on the link roads, which would be a new kind of Jazia.
“On one hand government has been claiming that there would be one nation one tax but apart from toll taxes at various stretches along National Highway, new taxes are being imposed on link roads, how this unnecessary burden on the vehicle owners can be justified?” another local said.
Chairman of MC Lakhanpur Surmudin said that they taken the decision to impose road tax on the link road after passing a resolution in the Committee meeting.
About issuance of an official notification, Surmudin said that the MC has already forwarded the communication to the Deputy Commissioner Kathua for issuance of a formal notification.
“It is still unclear how can MC collect tax without issuance of a formal notification?” a local asked. |
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