No rollback on Entry tax, supply unaffected: Parrikar
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 18 April 2013 13:47 IST
Chief minister Manohar Parrikar has ruled out roll back on entry tax at any cost.
He has also claimed that the supply of essential commodities from neighbouring states has not affected due to the tough stand taken by truckers.
Truckers from Belgaum and Maharashtra have threatened to stop supply of essential commodities like vegetables, fruits, milk etc in protest of the entry tax.
According to Parrikar, no vehicle carrying essential commodities has stopped coming to Goa.
PWD minister Sudin Dhawalikar said the question of not coming does not arise since Goa government is presently not charging entry tax to any vehicle from the neighbouring areas.
“We have postponed the decision by a fortnight to charge entry tax for any vehicle from Belgaum, Karwar and Sindhudurg”, Dhawalikar told the media.
After assessing the data of vehicles coming from these areas, the PWD department would work out a monthly pass system for the vehicles carrying essential commodities, he reiterated.
According to him, 25 trucks each of vegetables, eggs and packed milk as well as five trucks of milk arrived from Mollem check post today.
“They cannot stop the supply as they have signed a contract with local traders”, pointed out Dhawalikar.
The truckers, transporters and traders from Belgaum and Kolhapur had met both Dhawalikar and Parrikar two days ago, when the government had conveyed its decision regarding the monthly pass system to them.
In spite of that, the All India Motor Transport Congress has given a call of “Goa Boycott” while deciding not to enter Goa with goods.
In fact they have requested truckers from all over India to support the agitation by not sending their trucks to Goa.
The state government has started charging entry tax of Rs 500 to tempos etc and Rs 1000 to the trucks of six tyres.
Dhawalikar informed the media persons that the PWD department collected Rs five lakh in one day yesterday at all the five check posts.
It would have gone up to Rs 10 to 12 lakh if Goa had charged the neighbouring areas, he added.
