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Debaprosad Lahiri

Kolkata , Sept. 26

THE Truck Owners' Association of Bengal (TOAB) has appealed to the West Bengal Government to fix a minimum rate of freight immediately.

The State Government, which fixes the passenger fares whenever there is an increase in fuel prices, has been found reluctant to fix the minimum freight for goods transportation by road.

TOAB has also demanded that Central Excise duties should be rationalised and reduced to cushion the price hike of crude.

The prices of diesel oil and other POL (petrol, oil and lubricant) products should be substantially reduced to provide relief to the road transport sector, it added.

TOAB has decided to move court for the redressal of problems thrown up by the blanket ban on the use of road transport vehicles, including trucks, manufactured before 1990. The association has also appealed to the Government to modify the decision on this issue, said Mr Suvrajyoti Ghosh, General Secretary of the Association.

Meanwhile, the All India Confederation of Goods Vehicle Owners' Association has appealed to the State Transport Minister, Mr Subhash Chakraborty, to set up permanent machinery, which should, suo motu, review the fare rates periodically.

The constitution of the machinery would entail transparency and fairness to all stakeholders, including commuters.

The freight rates for trucks were fixed way ago on May 16, 2000 under Section 67(i) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The association has also requested the Minister to suitably increase truck freight rates that were fixed over five years ago.

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