Collection of money at Sarore Plaza is illegal and unjustified : Rattan Lal
Terms imposition of property tax as undemocratic and arbitary
Jammu AUG 18: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference has accused the government of engaging in exploitative practices, claiming that the collection of toll at Sarore Plaza and the imposition of property tax are undemocratic and arbitrary because they have ignored the elected representatives of ULB.
Questioning the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Govt whether these are the Achhe Din promised by it before elections, Rattan Lal Gupta, Provincial President JKNC Jammu asserted that collecting money in the garb of Toll at Sarore and imposing property tax upon the people in Jammu and Kashmir is totally illegal and unconstitutional. He said that the Govt is resorting to open loot of the common people by collecting the money at the Sarore toll plaza.
In a statement issued to media here today, the senior National Conference leader said that money collected at Toll plazas is used for proper maintenance of roads and the condition of the road in the vicinity of the Plaza is highly deplorable despite being part of the Jammu Pathankot National Highway which is connecting the J&K with the rest of the country.
Rattan Lal said that washing away of the vital Tarnah Bridge quite recently which led to the suspension of the traffic along vital Jammu Pathankot road has completely exposed the government’s contention on the issue. He said that even the concerned Union Minister Nitin Gadkari also had mentioned that this toll plaza within 60 kms range is illegal. Mr Gadhari issued directions to the concerned authorities that such illegal toll plazas must be removed immediately. Despite all these facts being known to the people at large the NAHI Authorities continue to collect huge money at the Sarore Toll Plaza.
Rattan Lal Gupta accused the BJP Govt at the Centre as well as the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory of being highly arbitrary in terms of thrusting upon the common people of this Union Territory multiple miseries through its anti-people decisions and measures despite brewing resentment among the people.
He said that the imposition of Property Tax is yet another glaring example of burdening the people of this UT by adding this tax to their liabilities despite people being unable to come out of the economic crunch due to prolonged terrorism and the Covid crisis as yet.
The NC leader said that BJP will definitely pay the price for its misdeeds as people will teach it a lesson in the upcoming Parliamentary, Assembly,ULB, and Panchayati elections.
