TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Monthly and fortnightly concessional passes would be issued to the transporters from neighbouring states, entering Goa probably by end of the month. After missing the deadline of July 15, as announced by Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Ramakrishna Dhavalikar, the department has planned two different slabs depending on the frequency of the vehicle visiting Goa.
PWD’s Principle Chief Engineer J S Rego told Herald that the entire proposal would be ready by next week and it would be submitted to the State government for approval and implementation.
Rego said that the department had to go into the minute details including the number of trips per truck, before chalking out a proper pass system and hence there was a delay. He said that the department has prepared a concession pass system with two different slabs depending on the frequency of the vehicle visiting the State.
“There will be two slabs. One for the vehicle on fortnightly basis and another on monthly basis depending on the frequency of the truck,” he said adding that the department is working on the costing of the proposal, currently.
The official said that most likely the system would be implemented before end of the month.
The pass system would be benefited to the transporters from the neighbouring Sindhudurg, Karwar, Belgaum, Hubli and Kolhapur, who are currently exempted from the paying the toll-fee.
The State on April 15 imposed the entry tax ranging between Rs 100-1,000 depending on the utility of the vehicle for usage of state infrastructure like roads, bridges, etc. The trucks are charged Rs 1,000 per trip.
The move invited strong opposition from the transporters across the country, who demanded rollback. The transporters under the banner All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) had halted inter-state transport, stopping flow of essential commodities. The government, however, refused to roll back the entry tax and instead assured to come out with a pass system.
