Permitting trucks to move is just not enough and the government should ensure that truckers are not subjected to harassment at inter-state border check posts, transporters' body AIMTC said on Thursday.
It also demanded a rescue package for the road transport sector, saying the delay in its announcement was making transporters restive.
"Permitting trucks to move is just not enough...We have been receiving reports of harassment on the ground level apart from extortion at border check posts. We urged the government to ensure seamless movement of vehicles carrying goods and essentials," All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) President Kultaran Singh Atwal said.
He said that at Bengal-Assam borders - Barobisha of Alipurduar district and Bakshirhat in Cooch Behar Distt. (WB) and Dhubri district (Assam) - about 10 kilometres long queue of trucks still persists each side, which are stopped for screening.
This leaves drivers and helpers high and dry without food and water, he said.
AIMTC is the apex body of transporters representing about 95 lakh truckers and entities.
"The inordinate delay in announcement of rescue package for the road transport sector is making them restive as they are not finding the movement of trucks alone as solutions to their problems," AIMTC said in a statement.
There has been strong undercurrent prevailing across the fraternity with augmenting financial strain on them, it said and added that repeated requests for direct or indirect financial to transport sector has not yet acceded to by the government.
"Increase of excise duty by the central government, by not passing on the benefit of crude oil to the transport sector, farmers and the common man and increasing of VAT by state governments, is like rubbing salt on raw wounds. It will only cause inflation and exert acute pressure on small operators as they cannot absorb this," it added.
The truckers' body said penalties on late submission of fees toward expired fitness, permit fees are still being charged though their validity has been extended by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways till June 30, 2020, vide advisory from MoRTH and recent tweet by Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.
It said majority of the trucks are not on roads as the operating cost has increased exorbitantly with the diesel price hike and resumption of toll.
The current scenario may lead to large scale shutting down of operations and loss of livelihood apart from sustained anxiety and depression among the fraternity, it cautioned.
Stressing that "reviving the transport is key to reviving growth", transporters demanded immediate availability of soft Loans, ease of doing business, interest waiver on EMIs and its deferment besides deferment of statutory compliances, taxes, comprehensive insurance, extension of validity of permits along with needful amendments in TDS & presumptive tax norms for road transport.
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