Siliguri, 13th December: On Wednesday, the members of the Siliguri Tourist Cab Transporters Association held a press conference at the Siliguri Journalists Club. During this, the members of the association raised allegations of the prevalence of syndicate rules in the hills and the ‘dadagiri Tax’.
Reportedly, a member of the organization Debashish Maitra mentioned that they possess an ‘All Bengal Tax Permit’. He added that an old rule exists in the hills where sightseeing was not permitted without a WB76 registered number. Consequently, they entered into the business with WB76 registration. However, WB76 registered vehicles traveling from the plains are still not permitted to undertake sightseeing activities on the hills.
The member of the association further stated that the ‘Dadagiri tax’ is being forced. Upon non-payment, they underwent several consequences, including vandalism of vehicles. The member specifically stressed the incidents to prevail in Darjeeling and Kalimpong. Furthermore, he stated that the matter was reported to the police administration and higher officials, however, no solution has been achieved. The members of the association claimed to take to the streets, upon failure to resolve the prevailing issue.