Shillong, Feb 10: The committee of truck owners from Jaintia Hills on Tuesday requested the state government to initiate a Special One-Time Settlement Scheme to regularize vehicle documents with long-term arrears.
The Joint Action Committee from East Jaintia Hills Truck Owners & Transporters Association and Jaintia Hills Truck Owners’ Association submitted a memorandum to deputy chief minister in-charge transport Sniawbhalang Dhar and urged the government to consider waiving or reducing accumulated late fees and penalties, allowing vehicle owners to clear the principal tax amount and become compliant.
“We earnestly request your esteemed office to consider and initiate a Special One-Time Settlement Scheme (SOTS) for the regularization of these vehicles with long-pending invalid documents,” it said.
The committee believes that the scheme will benefit both the government and the transport community.
“It will immediately generate significant revenue from the clearance of old tax arrears and bring a large fleet of currently non-operational or non-compliant vehicles back into the legal tax net,” it said adding “For the truck owners, it will empower our members, who currently cannot afford the heavy cumulative penalties, to become complaint, resume legal operations, and regularly maintain their vehicle documents every year thereafter.”
The Joint Action Committee has expressed confidence that the government will view the matter with compassion and pragmatic consideration, given the economic welfare of its members and the state’s transport sector.
