Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 4: All J&K Transport Welfare Association has accused the administration of ignoring the growing problems of transporters across the Union Territory, pushing thousands of operators, drivers and vehicle owners towards financial crisis. The Association said the transport sector has been left to suffer despite repeated appeals to the authorities.
In a press conference held in Jammu, the Association leaders alleged that commercial vehicles were being blacklisted in an arbitrary manner without proper verification or justification. They expressed serious concern over what they termed as “unregulated e-challaning”, claiming that enforcement agencies were issuing e-challans only to meet revenue targets instead of ensuring road discipline. Citing violations in procedure, they said that guidelines issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) were not being followed during challaning, resulting in harassment of transporters.
The members recalled that the past one year had been extremely difficult for the transport sector. After the Pahalgam terrorist attack, transportation activities were badly hit for weeks. This was followed by widespread damage to road infrastructure during the recent floods, causing massive losses and disruption in goods movement and passenger services. “Despite all odds, transporters somehow survived and continued their services to the public,” the Association said.
Click here to watch video
They further expressed resentment that bills of transporters who provided vehicles for election rallies in 2021, 2022 and 2024 were still pending. Even after submitting memorandums and holding meetings with concerned officials, the dues had not been cleared. In Kashmir, bills related to transportation services during the Khelo India Games were also unpaid, causing severe financial strain.
Another major demand highlighted was revision of transport tariff. The Association pointed out that the last tariff hike was done in 2021, while fuel prices, maintenance charges, and spare-part costs had increased significantly. Although 5–6 meetings were held with the Transport Commissioner in recent months, there had been no progress.
The leaders warned that if the Government failed to resolve these issues in a time-bound manner, they would be forced to come out on the roads in protest.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
