Relief to transporters

For quite some time , those engaged with commercial transport operators in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir were demanding certain concessions and relief from the Government to tide over the difficulties which they had to undergo on account of the CORONA virus pandemic. Not only had they to suspend their operations during the period of lockdowns but even after opening up, had to operate at below the normal capacity levels resulting in incurring losses in operational costs. On the other hand, since most of such operators have borrowed money from banks and other lending agencies , default on payment of monthly instalments as a fallout of erratic operations, has been one of their main concerns. It is, however, a matter of satisfaction that the Administrative Council has taken due notice of it and accordingly approved the waiver and exemption of up to 50 percent of passenger tax which shall be deemed to be effective during and for the period of April 2020 to April 2021. While it is a great relief to transport operators in the UT, at the same time, necessary adjustments are decided to be made in respect of accruable liabilities for the fiscal 2022-23 in cases of having already deposited the passenger tax at the stipulated rates during 2021-22.