Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 22: Expressing serious concern over continuation of anti-commuter and anti-state road tax being levied by the National Highway Authority of India at Ban in Nagrota, Provincial President National Conference Devender Singh Rana has said that vested interest has germinated a vicious circle which seems difficult to be broken given the apathetic attitude of the Union Government.
“While we deferred our proposed agitation at Nagrota on the assurance of the State Government which later informed us also that the matter with regard to rationalisation of toll tax has been taken up at an appropriate level at the Centre but it seems now that a powerful lobby is using its clout to scuttle the process to facilitate their henchmen to fleece the people”, Mr Rana said while responding to deep anguish among people of Nagrota during a public meeting.
The Provincial President hoped the State Government to vigorously pursue the issue with Centre so that the people are not forced to take recourse to agitation.
He said the people of the State in general and the Nagrota Assembly Constituency in particular have been put to additional burden and cumbersome process on the toll plazas notwithstanding the highway being still under construction. He described levying of tax as unethical and a conscious ploy to favour some vested interests who were harassing the commuters by misusing their political connections. The fact is known to the people and still the ruling coalition prefers to look to the other side for obvious reasons. He warned against the highhandedness and said the Government should take the issue seriously.
Mr Rana said that the Government cannot sleep over the matter as it will amount to giving long rope to anti-people elements who were not only deriving huge gains but sadistic pleasure also in putting the travelling public to strains. He questioned the rationale in charging road tax from the vehicle owners of Nagrota, an extended part of the Greater Jammu, who are required to travel to the winter capital several times a day in pursuit of their jobs, business and academics of their children.
Also, he said, the tax collection is going to impact the tourist cum pilgrim influx, which is the key economic activity of people in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. “Instead of providing incentives to ensure hassle free pilgrim cum tourism activity, the Centre has misadventured to create road blocks”, he lamented.
The Provincial President observed that the Coalition Government has lost grit to govern due to inherent contradictions and said the end sufferers remain the people. Due to visionless policies, the youth have been antaganoised by bringing a controversial recruitment policy, daily rated and anganwari workers have been forced to take to streets, the old and destitute stand deprived of their financial assistance while the utility services tell a tale of neglect and apathy. The Government, he said, seems to have lost the sense of proportion which is why the people in all the three regions feel a sense of deprivation, he said adding that there is nothing sort of a Government in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Provincial President said that due to reckless and anti-people policies of the Government the people were suffering on all the fronts. Their miseries have further accumulated due to demoralised administration, which is finding itself in a fix due to dual command.
Mr Rana assured the people that he will fight for their legitimate cause as their representative and ensure that the wheels of the administration move as per the will of people. “In a democratic set up, the people are supreme and those not appreciating this reality are destined to doom”, he observed.
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