Hike in toll tax: Transporters threaten to stage protest

MANSEHRA: The transporters on Tuesday threatened to forcibly remove the toll tax collection plaza erected on Karakoram Highway (KKH) if an increase in taxes announced by the contractor didn’t take back.

“The contractor has increased the toll tax of transporters from Rs1400 to Rs2200 monthly, which is unacceptable to us at any cost,” Jan Alam, the president of Hazara Transporters Association, told reporters here.

Flanked by other office-bearers of the association, he said that the contractor of the toll tax plaza, which was erected in Khatain-da-Galla at Karakoram Highway had doubled the daily toll tax for the transporters, which they would never pay.

“The daily toll, which was earlier Rs50 per day, is also doubled putting an extra financial burden on us, which should immediately be withdrawn,” Alam said.

He added that the contractor was creating a law and order situation after increasing the toll tax as the transporters had allowed the erection of a plaza after the contractors signed an agreement with them that he would not increase the tax.

Pervez Khan Swati, the general secretary of the association, speaking on the occasion said that almost all roads, even Karakoram Highway was in a dilapidated condition and toll tax received from here was being spent on roads out of Mansehra and other parts of Hazara division.

“The contractor had submitted a surety bond in Abbottabad circuit bench of Peshawar High Court that overhead bridges and underpasses will be built here but three years had passed but no such a development has taken place,” he added.