Pune Cantonment Board Continues To Collect Vehicle Entry Tax, Citizens Fume For Overruling Defence Ministry

Sumit Singh

Camp, 10th January 2022: A day after Khadki and Dehuroad cantonment boards stopped collecting vehicle entry fee after an order from the Directorate General Defence Estates (DGDE), people are still forced to pay the charges for entering the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) limits.

PCB CEO Amit Kumar said that they are collecting vehicle entry tax (VET) after taking permission from the central government, so they will continue to collect the vehicle charges until getting an order to rollback the VET. Khadki and Dehuroad cantonments had levied the vehicle entry fee at their level hence they have discontinued now as per the DGDE order.

As many people argued with VET attendants, PCB today issued a statement clarifying it’s stand.

“It is clarified for the general public that the Vehicle Entry Fees from the Vehicles running from the Cantonment area has been dis-continued vide letter No. 76/67/Misc/C/DE/ 2021/Vol-III dated 07th January. 2022. However, Pune Cantonment Board levies the Vehicle Entry Tax vide S. No. 1/2/62/File No. 1/2/Vehicle Entry Tax/2001 dated 30 06.2001 and corrigendum dn. 15.09.2001. which is under force and is not dis-continued.”

Officials said that VET will have to be discontinued as per the spirit of the order issued by DGDE. “PCB doen’t have many sources of income. It earns about Rs 15-20 crore annually from vehicle entry tax”, an officer said.

BJP spokesperson Ali Daruwala said that PCB is resorting to extortion by collecting vehicle entry tax in the backdrop of order to stop collecting such fees. “PCB is playing with words to loot people. I am taking up the issue with party higher command and central government as people are fed up of paying the extra fees without any reason”, he added.

Naveen Rai, a resident of Undri, who frequently passes through the PCB limit, told PunekarNews.in, “I read news about vehicle entry fee being stopped as per order of the defence ministry but VET attendant was not ready to listen. He forced us to pay the fees then only we were allowed to leave.”

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