Lorry owners urge A.P. government to address woes related to high diesel prices

Increased road cess and tax burden have compounded the woes of lorry owners, says Andhra Pradesh Lorry Owners’ Association

Lorry owners have urged the Andhra Pradesh government to initiate immediate measures to address their long-pending problems.

At a press conference in Vijayawada on Wednesday (November 20, 2024), Andhra Pradesh Lorry Owners’ Association general secretary Y.V. Eeswara Rao said the transport sector was in a deep crisis due to the adverse policies of the previous YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government.

He said truck owners were in economic distress due to several factors that needed to be addressed immediately. Citing the steep hike in diesel prices, which he said was the highest in the country, he said the increased road cess had compounded their woes.

Heavy tax burden

Besides, there was a 30% hike in quarterly tax and fine imposed on vehicles for violation of rules was increased from ₹1,000 to ₹20,000. Similarly, he said, the green tax had been hiked from ₹2,200 to ₹25,000.

He said because of a steep hike in the diesel prices, vehicle owners were going to the neighbouring States to re-fill fuel tanks. “We have been asking the government to constitute a committee to look into this issue without delay,” he said.

Seeking issuing of counter-signature permits for goods transport vehicles, Mr. Eeswara Rao said hundreds of lorry owners from Andhra Pradesh were lining up in Karnataka for registration of their vehicles, resulting in huge revenue loss to the State.

Data integration

He said in addition to the existing problems, integration of the data related to vehicles in the State from e-Pragathi to the centralised Vahan 4.0, a national register, was causing problems.

He said there was confusion with regard to the data in the new portal which led to their vehicles being penalised wrongly. There were many such cases booked against vehicles from Andhra Pradesh in Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam, he said, adding that the lorry owners needed time till March-end, 2025 for payment of the fines.

Mr. Rao said if the government failed to heed to their pleas, trucks owners in the State would be forced to resort to a State-wide agitation.

Association secretary D. Srinivasa Reddy,  treasurer N. Krishna., members T. Ravi Kumar, G. V. S. Prasad and Ravi Sarath Babu and Krishna District Lorry Owners Association president Nagumothu Raja were also present.

Published - November 21, 2024 04:41 am IST