Taxes will be reduced considerably to save transport sector, says Lokesh

After Jagan Mohan Reddy has become the Chief Minister the transport sector in the State is completely collapsed and within 100 days of the TDP coming back to power taxes will be brought down to the minimum level to compete with the neighbouring States, declared TDP general secretary, Nara Loksh, on Sunday.

Jagan has deliberately hit the transport sector and those who are dependent on it by revising various taxes, including green tax, over height, overload and quarterly tax but the TDP will reduce the taxes immediately after coming back to power to compete with other States, said Lokesh during an interaction with the representatives of the transport wing, Auto Nagar and transport workers at the A Convention campsite inVayawada before beginning his pada yatra on Sunday.

Recalling that the first Auto Nagar in the country, which is the biggest in Asia, was established in Vijayawada, Lokesh said the Chaitanya Ratham of the late NT Rama Rao too was assembled here. Such historic Auto Nagar is destroyed by Jagan, the TDP general secretary regretted.

“The auto workers here are so talented that my Ambassador car was upgraded here as an automatic vehicle,” Lokesh fondly recalled. He suspected that Jagan is trying to privatise the Auto Nagar only to grab the costly lands here and a GO was released for this reason on the privatisation.

Expressing serious concern over the prevailing poor condition of the roads in the State, Lokesh said that the transport wing is the worst hit due to this. “Soon after the TDP forms the next government all the roads will be rebuilt and the taxes on fuel will also be reduced. New vehicles will be purchased and a separate corporation will be formed for the welfare of those who are dependent on the transport sector,” Lokesh declared.

Announcing a special action plan for the development of the Auto Nagar immediately after the TDP is into power again, Lokesh said steps will be taken to provide basic amenities besides going for under-ground drainage system in the entire city of Vijayawada. He also made it clear that all the GOs that have been brought in by Jagan to damage the transport sector will be revoked. Lokesh also promised the representatives all other steps to develop the transport industry.

Representatives from the Muslim community in a memorandum submitted to Lokesh at DV Manor hotel on Bandar Road complained that the YSRCP Government has withdrawn all the welfare schemes which were in force earlier. Observing that Jagan is interested only in the votes of Muslims but not on their welfare, Lokesh promised to reintroduce all the welfare schemes by the coming TDP government.

On the Pinnamaneni Poly Clinic Road the youth staged a novel demonstration raising slogans like “where are jobs Jagan”. They expressed solidarity with Lokesh and told him that years are passing by but there are no job opportunities. Lawyers from Vijayawada also submitted a memorandum to Lokesh on their problems and Lokesh promised them to resolve all their issues once the TDP is back in power.