Illegal toll collection on NH-62
From Our Correspondent
TURA: Coal exporters from Garo Hills have been given a respite by the Gauhati High Court against illegal toll collection allegedly by Government departments and weigh bridge operators along National Highway 62 in East and South Garo Hills.
The Shillong Bench of the High Court passed an interim order directing the authorities in the two Garo Hills districts to ensure that only the requisite toll can be collected by the legal operators of toll gates and weigh bridges and the rates must be clearly displayed before everyone in their respective operating zones.
The Court gave the interim based on a petition filed by the All Garo Hills Coal Truck Owners’ Federation which complained that thousands of rupees are being paid to various operations of toll in the highway which has damaged the coal trade.
The Federation specifically mentioned that five thousand rupees each was being illegally collected from trucks at the transport check gate in Depa Garat of East Garo Hills, five weigh bridge operators which include that of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), Directorate of Mineral Resources (DMR), Taxation and Transport departments.
There are also two coal monopoly collection centres at Dobu (East) and Nengja (South) Garo Hills where members of the Federation are required to part with the money in an unauthorized manner.
Interestingly, the truckers are repeatedly made to pay between Rs 3000-5000 at the transport check gate in Depa Garat but never issued any receipt of the actual amount paid, it is alleged.
The police personnel manning the various outposts have also been accused of collecting illegal tax each time the trucks pass through their jurisdiction.
Another offender in the ‘goonda’ tax are the staff of the Transport department. The Enforcement Inspectorate toll gate collects nothing short of five thousand rupees with the simultaneous issue of non-authenticated government receipts for the same without the weigh confirmation of the coal laden truck, the truckers’ federation alleged.
The members of the Federation, through their counsel, had made it known that they are ready to pay toll but as per the government rules and had sought the court’s intervention into the matter.