Srinagar, Mar 23: The Lakhanpur check post is again in news and obviously not for good reasons. This time it is the transporters who have raised their ante against the authorities at the check post.
 The transporters accused the officials at the check post of subjecting them to “unnecessary and avoidable inconveniences.”
 The transporters said during March the “excess by the officials increased to meet their targets.”
 The drivers said most of the consignments that Kashmiri traders imported from outside were stopped at the post under the pretext of undervaluation. “The officials didn’t let us leave the post until we deposit penalty amount on behalf of the traders, which is imposed quite arbitrarily.”
 “Each time we are asked to pay huge sums. And when we pay, sometimes the traders don’t reimburse us the amount as they reject the claim of the officials about undervaluation,” they said.
  “If this is a tussle between trader and sales tax department, why do they involve transporters in it? Why are we made to pay the penalty every time?” asked a transporter.
 The transporters said Valley-bound trucks constitute more than 70 per cent of the total vehicles which were stopped at the post for checking.
 The Valley traders said the commercial tax department had set a target of Rs 10 crore for Jammu and Rs 10 crore for Kashmir for the current fiscal. “And to achieve the target they are resorting to arbitrary practices to charge more and more tax from the traders at the post,” said a trader.
 Meanwhile, the traders have urged the state government that Kashmir-bound trucks should be checked at Lower Munda check post only.
 The traders said unlike their counterparts at Jammu whose goods are subjected to one check only, “we are facing multiple check points including at Lakhanpur and Lower Munda.”

Lastupdate on : Tue, 23 Mar 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 23 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:00:00 IST