Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 3: Three days after the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways extended the validity of documents like driving licences, permits and registration that expired since February 1, senior BJP leader and ex-J&K Deputy CM, Kavinder Gupta today said that as the lockdown has harmed transport business and public transport has suffered 100 pc loss in J&K, like rest of the country, the Government ought to come to the rescue of transporters by giving them at least three month token tax exemption.
“As the lockdown being observed countrywide to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 which has brought transport business to a standstill, the Government must give transporters a three-month token tax exemption,” he said while highlighting the problems the transporters were facing due to the lockdown.
He said token tax is to be deposited by transporters quarterly. “Since there is no transport business at all in view of the strict restrictions which the authorities concerned have imposed to tame the spread of Corona virus, transporters have lost their source of income and won’t be able to pay the tax. Hence the Government must give them three month exemption on this account,” Kavinder added.
He said as the Government ‘has already extended till June 30 the validity of expired driving licences and vehicle registration, which includes permits and other motor vehicle documents, this relaxation should be extended to the commercial vehicles’ fitness.
“The Government must extend the fitness time by three months,” the BJP leader asserted.
Referring to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s address to the nation this morning, Kavinder said, “We Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians – are all one. Let us all take a pledge, as has been asked by the Prime Minister, that we will switch off lights and lit a lamp or a candle or flash light of a mobile phone on April 5 at 9 pm for nine minutes at our respective residences to move from darkness to light.”
“This will also infuse in us the feeling of oneness. This mantra of unity will definitely drive us forward,” he added.
“And, it is vital for us to come out of this COVID-19 pandemic and move from darkness to light,” Kavinder said and added, “This commitment we have to make with ourselves.”
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