Karnataka - Madikeri   

Private vehicle owners, drivers stage protest

Private vehicle owners and drivers staging a protest in Madikeri on Friday.

Madikeri: Private vehicle owners and drivers on Friday staged a demonstration at the Deputy Commissioner’s office here against the order by the Kodagu police that they should convert all private vehicles being used as taxis (with white number plates) to taxis (with yellow number plates), by December 15.

At a press conference a couple of days ago, the association of private vehicle owners and drivers had asked the district administration to give them six months’ time to adhere to the police instructions.

However, Superintendent of Police Manjunath Annigeri, addressing presspersons on Thursday, stated that private vehicles could not be run as taxis.

It deprived the RTO of the quarterly tax levied on taxis, he said.

Madikeri MLA M.P. Appachu Ranjan, who had had arguments with Deputy Commissioner K.H. Ashwatha Narayana Gowda, Mr. Annigeri and RTO Mohammad Habeebulla Khan, at Mr. Gowda’s office, refused to buy the argument of the officials, and gave a call to the association members to defy the deadline.

The former MLC, A.K. Subbaiah, who too was present at the Deputy Commissioner’s office, was in favour of continuing the existing system.

Later, addressing a gathering outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office, Mr. Ranjan threatened that the State Government would not keep quiet if the officials “created difficulties” for people of the district.

Mr. Subbaiah added that white board vehicles would have already paid lifetime tax to the RTO. However, if vehicles carried excess passengers, it could be dealt with.

DYFI district secretary P.R. Bharat, who addressed the association members, said private vehicles being used as taxis should be allowed to ply as usual as it provided employment to youths.

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