Temporary relief for select transporters

HC asks Telangana government to put off tax collection for a week

Hyderabad: The High Court in an interim order on Wednesday directed the Telangana State government not to collect the inter-state Motor Vehicle Tax for one week from private transport vehicles entering the State from the neighboring Andhra Pradesh. It may be mentioned here that the TRS government had issued a GO which came into operation from Tuesday midnight by which all commercial vehicles entering Telangana State would have to pay motor vehicle tax.

Taken aback by the move, the private transport operators of Andhra Pradesh approached the High Court pleading for intervention and to direct the TS government to withdraw its order as a heavy financial burden would fall on them, besides affecting regular travelling public and also lead to increase in prices of essential commodities.

The High Court passed an interim order after perusing the petitions and hearing arguments of the petitioners and thus gave a breather to the private transporters. By its order, the High Court gave relief only to the petitioners as the order was applicable only to those who filed the petitions. However, others are bound to pay the entry tax. The court posted the case for further hearing to April 7.

Earlier in the morning, the private transport operators moved the High Court questioning the validity of the government’s decision to levy interstate vehicle tax on commercial vehicles entering Telangana State from Andhra Pradesh State. As many as three separate petitions, including one lunch motion petition by the Private Operators Association, was filed in the High Court pleading for immediate quashing of the GO in this regard and which came into force with effect from Wednesday.

The petitioners pleaded with the Court that the levy of the interstate motor vehicles tax for entering the Telangana State would impose a big financial burden on them besides causing a lot of hardships to regular passengers and traveling public. The levy of the entry tax, which was bound to increase in prices of essential commodities would also adversely affect the lives of the commoners, they contended and sought intervention of the court to make the Telangana government withdraw the GO. Meanwhile, the lorry and truck owners too are contemplating to move the court in this regard.

90 lakh collected on Day 1

Hyderabad: Levy of entry tax on commercial vehicles entering into Telangana State from AP coming into force from midnight, the authorities at three check-posts in Nalgonda district at Vadapally, Kodad and Nagarjunasagar already collected Rs 90 lakh as entry tax.

Meanwhile, Transport Minister Mahender Reddy reiterated that the Telangana government’s decision to levy motor vehicle tax on private transport vehicles entering the State from AP was as per law only. Already the Telangana State had lost Rs 40 crores and still the government had not acted to comply with the orders of the court.