After commencing collection of Motor Vehicle tax from vehicles entering Andhra Pradesh from the Telangana State since Friday midnight, the Transport department managed to collect nearly Rs. 2.50 crore on day one at eight integrated checkposts on the borders of the two States.
Of the Rs. 2.50 crore, officials at Garikapadu checkpost on the Krishna and Khammam districts border, collected a whopping Rs. 2.13 crore and at Tiruvuru checkpost in Krishna district, officials collected Rs.1.84 lakh. The officials concerned are yet to prepare a comprehensive list of collections from checkposts at Jidugumalli in West Godavari, Macherla and Dachepalli in Guntur, Rampachodavaram in East Godavari, Panchalingala and Sunnipeta in Kurnool.
Private buses contributed to the bulk of the collections at Garikapadu checkpost followed by trucks. Serpentine queues were witnessed at Garikapadu checkpost as most private buses heading towards Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and other places in coastal districts have to pass through the checkpost.
Each private bus operator, who used to pay about Rs.1.47 lakh as quarterly MV tax to the Telangana government, had to pay extra quarterly motor vehicle tax of about Rs.1.47 lakh to Andhra Pradesh. Similarly, truck operators, who generally pay Rs. 5,750 a week motor vehicle tax to Telangana government, had to pay almost double the tax to Andhra Pradesh.
Close to 25 truck operators, who did not carry enough cash, were forced to park their vehicles aside at Garikapadu, Dachepally and Jidigumalli checkposts. They were permitted into the State only after they paid the requisite tax. Officials expect to collect about Rs.50 crore a year towards motor vehicle tax collection from Telangana vehicles entering Andhra Pradesh. The move to collect tax from Telangana vehicles comes in the wake of Telangana Government collecting extra tax from Andhra Pradesh vehicles close to a month ago.
