Another snag in server trips trade across state

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Rajpura/Patiala, August 24

Sale and purchase entries worth crores could not be made in official records early this morning due to a snag in the e-trip server. Hundreds of vehicles loaded with goods remained stranded at various information collection centre (ICC) barriers, resulting in traffic chaos on highways. This was the second snag in less than a week.

Traders and vehicle drivers were up in arms against the taxation department for the poor functioning of the e-trip facility. The server remained out of order from 4 am to 7.30 am. “By that time, transactions worth crores had been delayed or had to be done manually,” said a taxation official.

Hundreds of vehicles could be seen parked alongside the national highway near the ICC barrier at Shambhu, even as anxious truck drivers kept pleading with taxation officials to clear their vehicles. “Instead of solving our problem, the barrier staff started charging money from us. It was only after 7.30 am, that the system finally came on track and we could manage to cross the barrier,” said a truck driver.

“The server was down and the entire system remained disturbed for a few hours in the morning,” said Director (Investigation) Navdeep Bhinder. “This happens sometimes when the load is heavy,” she said.

Thirty-six ICC barriers in the state are controlled through the department server that gets around 80,000 entries everyday. These entries are mandatory for the transportation of goods within and outside the state. “If the department website cannot process these many entries, the e-trip scheme should be postponed. Otherwise, such problems will continue to cause loss to our businesses,” traders said.

Excise and Taxation Commissioner Rajat Agrawal said, “The problem is at the end of Wipro (IT firm) for which we have taken up the matter with them. We will deal with them sternly, if they don’t improve.” As regards the need for a parallel system, he said: “There is no need for a parallel system. We need capacity enhancement.”

Ambala: Hundreds of trucks and other heavy vehicles remained stranded on the NH-1 near Punjab-Haryana border after the server of tax collection centre at Shambhu (Punjab) developed a snag. Ambala ACP Hitesh Yadav had to rush to the spot to make way for the Delhi-Lahore bus, ambulances and other VIP vehicles. Light vehicles were diverted to alternative routes.

(Inputs from Suman Bhatnagar)