Rejig of districts hits cab, bus operators hard

​Hyderabad: The delimitation of districts seems to have affected the livelihood of cab and bus operators in the city as they are made to pay taxes for the entire State even though they operate only within the GHMC limits resulting in a burden of Rs 15,000 to Rs 40,000 quarterly.

Earlier, cabs and bus operators in the city used to pay single quarterly tax for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits including Ranga Reddy and Hyderabad districts. However, with the formation of new districts, a cab travelling from BHEL in Ramachandrapuram to Gachibowli has to cross at least three districts.

So is the case with many other areas. As a result, the RTA authorities are penalising cab operators and are allegedly insisting that they take State tour permit to operate their vehicles. But the tour operators and cab operators say that it would put an additional burden to the extent of Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 on them.

Cab and bus operators are demanding that the government continue with the earlier permit system of single taxation that existed prior to the delimitation of districts. They operators said they used to pay Rs 1,210 per seat as tax before the delimitation of the districts.

The quarterly tax of the 40-seater bus used to come at over Rs 48,000. However, after the delimitation of districts, the tax rates have changed and the department officials are asking the cab drivers to pay the State tax for plying into more than three districts.

The Telangana State Cab and Bus Operators Association President Nizamuddin said if a cab or bus was operated within the city limits of Kukatpally and Hitec City, it would travel in three districts of Medak (BHEL), Rangareddy (Hitec City) and Hyderabad districts. He said the officials were now asking the operators to pay Rs 2,650 per seat as tax, which would mean the operators with a 40-seater bus would have to pay Rs 1,06,000 as tax.