Orissa and Antinational Taxes

[thebagchi]

Am writing this to beware all intending to drive/ride to Orissa in near future.

- Me and few of my friends, while returning from our joy drive to Konark and Puri where asked to stop for routine check at Jaleshwar border.
I was asked to show the Registration Certificate for my car.

After noting the unladen weight of the car, i was asked to pay Rs 800. As road-tax for using the Orissa Roads for 6months.

Being aware of the RTO rules, i felt it to be wrong as i was traveling in a private vehicle, that is not used commercially either. And if am not staying in Orissa for more than 30days, then am not going to pay Road Tax. As am using vehicle only for travel purpose. Even on showing the Toll Receipts the person in charge was adamant.

The person who was insisting on paying the Road Tax, was from Commercial Vehicle Dept, he has no right to authority to Stop a Private Vehicle.

Now, surprise this guy showed us the Receipt Challan book. Now before us 19 other private vehicles had payed the unlawful "TAX".

We demanded to see the public notification. But we where shown a page that didn't bear signature of authorized signatory, nor any rubber Stamp.
Xerox contained Amount of Tax. for 6 months and 12 Months and 60 Months.
We were not impressed.

We protested, and seeing us other private cars joined our protest campaign and soon the indecent looked like a mass agitation. we waited there for almost 1 Hour as it was getting late and collectively the Vehicles from kolkata decided to move on.

We felt, Toll Taxes being collected in Orissa to be on the Higher Side. And Number of Toll Booths are very frequent.
Few being 20Kms apart. Toll Taxes as much as Rs45 for single pass and 65 for Multiple, where as the Toll Taxes in WB are around 30 and 35 for Single pass and 50-55 for multiple pass.

Something fishy is going on. As none of the Toll Booths have any computer. And the receipts given to us where hand written.

This is unlawful thing, and purely against our national integrity.
And i request all not to pay the unlawful Tax in case you are visitor.


But the point is 19 others have already paid, most of them being bigger cars they paid somewhere in the region of Rs1500.
And am trying to spread awareness against such unlawful activity going on in a State Border, people are being harassed for money, they are threatened that there vehicles will be seized. Under no circumstance such thing should be tolerated.

[Spitfire]

You were right in standing your ground. Hope more people resist such unscruplous people.

Another border crossing which is notorious is the Karnataka - Goa border when you enter from Karnataka side. The officials there are the most cheapest of human beings i have ever seen or met. They are the downright third grade government officials, corrupt to the core. And what is alarming is everyone knows about it but no one does anything. I had to go through a horrifying ordeal there. I am a Goan with a KA registered vehicle crossing over to Goa. I had to call some contacts in from Goa side to sort things out.

We called some higher ups connected to the police and excise checkpost there and found out that local ministers, high level officiers and police officiers were all involved. Apparently they earn crores in a year due to this corruption. And it continues till today.

[thebagchi]

I forgot to add, i don't remember spotting Rate Charts in any of the Toll Stations in Orissa.

[Captdey]

Recently I am getting disturbing News of Collecting Road Tax at
Jaleswar from Private vehicles , Specially vehicles with WB Number
plates , easy pray are those travelling with family . this amounts to
nothing but extortion in Uniform, Since Indian Mtor Vehicle Laws states
Private Vehicles need not to pay road when in transit through other
states.

This is high time we should stop this menace, I will be in Kolkata on
1st week of April, if other Team BHP Members are agreed then we
can ask for an appointment from the Resident Commissioner at Utkal
Bhawan , Kolkata to address our grievance and to find out whether its
a legal one or just an extortion.

Are Team BHP members of Kolkata Listenting?, then please fix up a date
and venue .

Cheers

[shuvd]

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...nal-taxes.html (Orissa and Antinational Taxes)
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...r-kolkata.html (Kolkata - Bhubaneshwar - Puri - Bhubaneshwar - Gopalpur - Kolkata)

I also had to pay the 6 months tax. On top of that, they tried to extort some more as my car didn't have a PUC. My car was less than 6 months old at that time!

[adc]

Originally Posted by Captdey

This is high time we should stop this menace, I will be in Kolkata on
1st week of April, if other Team BHP Members are agreed then we
can ask for an appointment from the Resident Commissioner at Utkal
Bhawan , Kolkata to address our grievance and to find out whether its
a legal one or just an extortion.

Yes thats a very good step Captain. Sure I am in this, should be back by the end of 1st week of April. Lets make that physical presentation in front of the Resident Commissioner - tbhp members have to be more proactive in correcting situations.

Anyone having good contacts in the press? - this issue once highlighted prominently will be of immense benefit

[Captdey]

Yesterday I read another email from a person who was victimised while
on way to Kolkata at this point. He was charged Rs.800/- as a
Road tax for next 6 Months , this is absolutely crap.

Let's do a mini TBHP meet at Kolkata and discuss a course of action
involving Media, Resident commissioner of Orissa Govt. at Utkal Bhawan,
Kolkata and also the AAEI (automobile association of eastern india).

In the meantime try to highlight this issue whatever way you can.

Thanks ADC and Shuvd for your responses.

Cheers

[genesis]

If someone has contacts this will make a good newspaper story in Calcutta or Hyderabad.
Awareness is a big ally

[adc]

Sudipto-S-Team mentioned quite sometime back about having a contact at Telegraph. Any updates on this sudipto-da?

This extortion is happening only at the WB-Orissa border post at Jaleshwar [NH5] and not elsewhere.

Originally Posted by Sudipto-S-Team

Meanwhile I have spoken to a senior journalist with The Telegraph about this Orissa extortion. Let's see if something comes out of it.

I think we should write to various government departments in Orissa. I doubt if the bosses in Bhubaneswar are aware of this racket.

[phamilyman]

I am quite confused. I will be there in July, and I will carry a 3 day old PUC. I don't see any reason why one must pay any such silly tax - unless they give me in writing that a 3 day old PUC + petrol receipts are invalid and that i still need to pay transit.

Just giving a temporary receipt valid for 6 months doesnt mean that it has been issued for the right purpose.

[hvkumar]

Surprisingly, when we drove through Jaleswar in Dec, we were not bothered for this "tax". I will driivng on NH6 via Sambalpur to Kharagpur next month, will know how bad it is that side! Hope you guys do something about this issue before then!!!

[adc]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Surprisingly, when we drove through Jaleswar in Dec, we were not bothered for this "tax". I will drivng on NH6 via Sambalpur to Kharagpur next month, will know how bad it is that side! Hope you guys do something about this issue before then!!!

This problem is not there on the NH6 of OR-JH or JH-WB, only at the NH5 Jaleshwar border.

Remember a post seeing where the outstation car having a non-WB plate was stopped and that person wriggled past by saying "Army"

[mmmjgm]

Originally Posted by thebagchi

Am writing this to beware all intending to drive/ride to Orissa in near future.

- Me and few of my friends, while returning from our joy drive to Konark and Puri where asked to stop for routine check at Jaleshwar border.
I was asked to show the Registration Certificate for my car.

After noting the unladen weight of the car, i was asked to pay Rs 800. As road-tax for using the Orissa Roads for 6months.

Being aware of the RTO rules, i felt it to be wrong as i was traveling in a private vehicle, that is not used commercially either. And if am not staying in Orissa for more than 30days, then am not going to pay Road Tax. As am using vehicle only for travel purpose. Even on showing the Toll Receipts the person in charge was adamant.

The person who was insisting on paying the Road Tax, was from Commercial Vehicle Dept, he has no right to authority to Stop a Private Vehicle.

Now, surprise this guy showed us the Receipt Challan book. Now before us 19 other private vehicles had payed the unlawful "TAX".

We demanded to see the public notification. But we where shown a page that didn't bear signature of authorized signatory, nor any rubber Stamp.
Xerox contained Amount of Tax. for 6 months and 12 Months and 60 Months.
We were not impressed.

Something fishy is going on. As none of the Toll Booths have any computer. And the receipts given to us where hand written.
.

What you can do is pay the tax, then file an RTI application against the Commissioner/Head of the Motor Vehicles/RTO department of Orissa.

This will help you get the relevant information relating to the act, else will help the Government department to take action if such an act is illegal.

AFAIK Hill stations like Panchgani & Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra near Bombay have been traditionally been charging an entry fee on vehicles since inception of the state (Maharashtra in this case).

Maybe the Orissa RTO in this case would have been inspired by this and has begun charging a road use cess, FYI - if a notification/law has been passed, there would be no way you can refuse paying these charges.

Regards
M

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by mmmjgm

AFAIK Hill stations like Panchgani & Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra near Bombay have been traditionally been charging an entry fee on vehicles since inception of the state (Maharashtra in this case).


Regards
M

I think what they levy in Panchgani/Mahabaleswar is some sort of hill development cess charged by the local government to enter the town area. I have seen similar charges in Shirdi, Kanyakumari and Rameswaram (all stiff charges, like in Rameswaram I remember it was Rs 60 and thereabouts). But I have not seen anywhere they charge proivate cars for RTO charges like at Jaleswar, and definitely not on highways.

[vnabhi]

I'm shocked to see such incidents of daylight robbery. I'm sure those guys are doing it without authority.
On a similar note, there is a bunch of dirty cops at the Sholapur bye-pass that pounce on every AP registered vehicle, and try to extort money. A pal of mine had to tip them Rs 200 to avoid a penalty of Rs 750 for not carrying his original driving license.
Many team-bhpians have been victimised by that gang. Some have even taken state highways to reach Goa to avoid that bunch of Sholapur crooks.