Imphal, March 03 2009: The cup of woes of transporters, particularly petroleum products carriers operating on NH-39, are running over as they now have to meet the toll tax imposed by the Dimapur Municipal Council over and above the many taxes they have to cough up imposed by different armed groups at Dimapur.

Talking to The Sangai Express, a reliable source said that the Dimapur Municipal Council has taken up the new tax drive under the Nagaland Municipal Acts of 2001 and the tax would be collected as Toll Tax.

As per a recent decision, the taxes would be imposed on all vehicles passing through Dimapur, including all the goods trucks proceeding toward Imphal.

Earlier all Imphal bound goods trucks, including LPG bullet carriers and tankers did not have to pay the toll tax and entry fee.

However in a new move, the toll tax payment mode worked out on December 20 in 2006 has been revised and a new rate has been worked out, said the source and added that an order to this effect was issued on December 30 last year by the Dimapur Municipal Council.

At that time no Toll tax was paid.

The revised tax is to be enforced within the jurisdiction of the Dimapur Municipal Council, said the source and added that a similar tax was worked out for all trucks bound for Imphal.

As per the order of December 30 last year, the Dimapur Municipal Council had fixed Rs 200 as toll tax for each Imphal bound goods trucks, LPG carriers and petroleum products tankers.

The new tax is to be effected from January 1 this year, said the order issued by the Chief Executive Officer.

Opposing the revised toll tax of Rs 200 each per vehicle for all Imphal bound trucks, transporters have suspended service, said the source further.

Following the new development, fuel tankers did not accompany the security escorts on Friday and Monday to lift fuel.

With fuel tankers refusing to hit the road, there has been no bottling exercise at the Sekmai LPG bottling plant for the past one week, information received from the plant said today.

As per information received from the Divisional Office of the IOC, Imphal, over one hundred fuel laden trucks, including tankers carrying petrol, diesel and kerosene are stranded outside the State.

The IOC officials have already briefed the State FCS Department about the decision of the Dimapur Municipal Council to impose a tax of Rs 200 per vehicle as toll tax, said the source.

Since the goods meant for Imphal are not to be sold in Nagaland, there is no ground to impose the toll tax, said the source and added that the State Govt will take up the matter with the Nagaland Govt.Other than the Rs 200 per vehicle toll tax imposed by the Dimapur Municipal Council, if the Kohima Municipal Council too imposes a similar tax, then it means that each truck will have to shell out Rs 400 as toll tax, explained the source further.

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