Construction of the long-awaited integrated check-post at Walayar bordering Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu will begin in a year, Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac has said.
The State government will set apart Rs.100 crore for the initiative, which will ease traffic congestion at the State border apart from ensuring transparency in clearing of goods carrying vehicles. The integrated check-post will provide uniformity to the inspection of vehicles by departments such as commercial taxes, excise and forests.
Mr. Isaac, who visited the border check-post on Sunday, said the government would give priority for preventing tax evasion. During his interaction with officials in Walayar, they apprised the Minister of the ground-level obstacles in clearing vehicles.
The Minister said that five acres of land would be acquired very soon for constructing the yard were vehicles meant for inspection could wait. The integrated check-post needed 36 acres of land. The Minister expressed hope that tax evasion could be curtailed by introducing modern scanners.
Mr. Isaac said efforts were on to fill up existing vacancies of staff at the check-post. Only 40 persons were available there in the place of 70. So vehicles were getting accumulated on the road side for several hours. The Minister said he would conduct regular surprise visits to Walayar to increase efficiency of check-post facilities.
