Srinagar: Amid resentment over the imposition of toll tax at Sangam in south Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Thursday assured that locals would be exempted from paying the tax.
“There won’t be any toll tax on the locals. We have taken up the issue with the central government but due to the ongoing election process things have slowed up a bit,” Governor said while inaugurating the grid lock separator in Srinagar.
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Since the toll plaza has been made operational by the National Highway Authority of India in Sangam area of south Kashmir, the traders, commuters and other business communities have refused to pay the tax.
A group of traders and transporters also submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner Anantnag demanding the rollback of the toll tax being levied on the vehicles.
Two top regional parties, National Conference and the PDP have also demanded the rollback of the tax. NC has called the move ‘unfair and unjust” while the PDP said such a measure would hit the already economically downtrodden people hard.