Refusing to pay toll, BBN residents carve paths to circumvent barriers

Ambika Sharma

Solan, May 20

The State Excise and Taxation Department is struggling to make its inter-state toll tax barriers functional in the industrial belt of the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh(BBN), with locals opposing the payment of entry tax on commercial vehicles like trucks and vans. This is causing losses to the contractors operating these posts.

Locals opposing tax payment

• There are 12 inter-state toll barriers in the belt which were auctioned for Rs 43.07 crore for this financial year and the Department had registered an increase of Rs 8.62 crore.
• It is, however, becoming difficult to make all toll tax barriers functional as locals are opposed to the payment of the entry tax on commercial vehicles that return after dropping goods in other states.
• The defiant villagers have carved out paths within villages, circumventing the toll tax barrier to enter the state in violation of the entry tax norms.

The BBN belt houses Asia’s biggest truck union with about 10,000 vehicles registered with it. The union caters to industrial units of the BBN belt, which houses more than 90 per cent of the

state’s industry.

There are 12 inter-state toll barriers in the belt, which were auctioned for Rs 43.07 crore for this financial year, an increase of Rs 8.62 crore over the last year’s figure.

It is, however, becoming difficult to make all toll tax barriers functional as locals are opposed to the payment of the entry tax on commercial vehicles that return after dropping goods in other states.

In the Nalagarh area, the locals are up in arms against the entry tax — which ranges from Rs 350 to Rs 700 — being charged on commercial vehicles at Bagheri barrier. While truckers take the plea that they have been granted such an exemption for several years, the officials said no exception had been made for commercial vehicles at the state’s toll tax policy. The defiant villagers have carved out paths within villages, circumventing the toll tax barrier to enter the state, in flagrant violation of the entry tax norms.

Deputy Commissioner, State Taxes and Excise Department (STED), Som Dutt Sharma, said, “The representatives of the truck union were directed to give a representation demanding exemption to villagers from paying toll tax. They were also told to produce a communication from the Department to prove that their commercial vehicles were exempted from paying toll tax. Even as several days have passed, no such representation has been received from them.”

The Department had also re-started a toll tax barrier at Khudabax Chowk on the Nanakpur-Kalujhinda link road, which was another entry point for truckers evading toll tax while coming in from Haryana. An attempt to set up the barrier earlier this month was thwarted by the villagers, who dismantled the barrier.

Som Dutt said the police assistance had been sought to ensure smooth working of the toll tax barrier. An FIR has been lodged by the toll tax contractor against villagers who had created ruckus at the barrier last week, he added.

A representative of villagers from Kalujhinda also met the Baddi SP in this regard today.