Truck owners' anti-entry fee strike fizzles out
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 27 May 2013 09:51 IST
The so called logjam by national truck owners against Goa’s entry fee appears to be getting fizzled out as the All India Motor Transport Congress has put it in abeyance.
The reason given by AIMTC president Bal Malkit Singh is the assurance given by the national BJP leaders to “use their good offices to impress upon Goa CM.”
Goa BJP chief minister Manohar Parrikar however is firm on his stand not to withdraw the entry fee imposed on outside vehicles entering Goa, at the entry points.
While AIMTC claims it is in violation of the Motor Vehicles Act to impose tax on the national highways, Goa government says it is imposed as per the provisions of the Goa Highways Act for its state roads and not national highway.
Claiming that the national BJP leaders have assured to take up the matter also in its national executive meeting scheduled in Goa, Singh has stated that they would wait for the outcome of it.
The excuse given by the AIMTC however appears not convincing sine the AIMTC had met Rajya Sabha opposition leader Arun Jaitley on 18 May while the BJP national president Rajnath Singh on 22 May.
Both had assured the AIMTC leaders to talk to Goa CM in this regard “when they meet him in Goa at the national executive meeting from 7 to 9 June.”
The AIMTC however took the decision to put their logjam in abeyance almost four days after these assurances.
In reality, the truck owners appear to be not co-operating with their organisation and continue bringing essential goods to Goa, especially from the neighbouring areas like Karwar, Sindhudurg and Belgaum.
Chief minister Parrikar, on the other hand, has already said they would not bow down before such pressures and even declared a counter strategy of importing essential goods from other parts of India if Kolhapur vehicles don’t come to Goa.
