Jammu: Normal life was disrupted here due
to a strike by private transport union demanding scrapping of passenger tax and registration of attempt to murder cases against drivers for wrongful accidents in Jammu and Kashmir.
All public transport, including long distance buses
and private cars, went off the roads in Jammu and other
regions in support of the call given by the All Jammu and
Kashmir Transport Association against levy of passenger tax
and registration of cases against the drivers.
Meanwhile, the state government plied state-owned
State Road Transport Corporation buses to ferry people in the
city and inter-district roads in the Jammu region.
"Entire private transport is on strike in Jammu
region. We are demanding scrapping of passenger tax and cases
registered against drivers in connection with accidents under
section 307 of Ranbir Panel Code (attempt to murder),"
Spokesman of the Association Vijay Kumar told reporters here.
"We want state government to act and fulfil our
demands. They are anti-transport industry," he said.
As per the officials of the state transport
department, the passenger tax is meant to providing immediate
compensation of Rs one lakh to the passengers killed in road
accidents and Rs 50,000 to the injured.
Due to rash driving, overloading and violation of
rules there are an increase in the number of the accidents,
deaths and injuries following which the state government has
decided to slap section 307 RPC (attempt to murder) against
drivers of buses and private cars, they said.
PTI
