VASCO: The Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) will put forward a proposal to impose an entry tax on all commercial vehicles plying to and from Mormugao port. Chairperson MMC Deepak Naik stated that the issue of traffic congestion and risk to locals while commuting on city roads was a major issue highlighted by the locals during the municipal elections, and therefore, MMC has to play major role to solve the issue. The proposal to impose the entry tax is one of their solutions.
“The citizens have constantly been under high risk due to commercial vehicles plying to and from Mormugao port. This will continue until the four-lane highway from Varunapuri to MPT is completed. It is our responsibility to take serious steps, and I have now decided to put forward a proposal to levy entry tax on commercial vehicles before the new council in its first meeting and get it passed unanimously. Later, we will forward the proposal to the State administration for approval so that MMC can earn something through these trucks operations,” said Naik.
He continued, “Our efforts to making the city roads congestion free won’t stop there. Very soon we will call for a joint meeting of citizens and officials,
including traffic police, to find solutions to ensure that no heavy vehicle violates the speed limit already imposed in the city. Besides that, we have to find ways to ensure that the truck/trailer drivers drive responsibly and not haphazardly.”
Meanwhile, Vasco MLA Carlos Almeida stated that bauxite transportation was a major cause of traffic congestion and there is a need to control the same by reducing the frequency of transportation by 75 percent, besides increasing the restricted timing for trucks.
“Every day, around 400 trucks are involved in bauxite transportations to and from MPT, due to which there is immense pressure on the city roads. After Diwali, I will call for a joint meeting with all agencies, including the transporters, to ensure that only 100 trucks are permitted to ply in the city and that there is a time gap between each truck,” said Almeida.
