Masterplan to modernise 37 checkposts

By M. Malleswara Rao

HYDERABAD, DEC. 12. A masterplan has been prepared to modernise all the 37 checkposts run by the Department of Commercial Taxes (DCT) with online computerisation and thus end the delays and resultant traffic snarls on highways which are synonymous with the present manually managed system.

Under the plan costing Rs 17.5 crores and named "Integrated Management Programme for Automation in Commercial Taxes Department" (IMPACT) which will be the pilot project for the entire country if approved by the Union Government, each checkpost will become a self-contained complex having loop-roads, canteen, medical aid, provision store, STD booth, xerox machine, a petrol bunk and ATM counter apart from the computerised counter connected with other checkposts by a central server through Andhra Pradesh's multi-purpose Ku band satellite.

Out of the checkposts 25 are "internal ones", seven lying on the borders with other States and five integrated checkposts run by DCT but serving Excise, Transport, Mines and Geology, Civil Supplies, Marketing and Forest departments also. On implementation of the plan, the checkposts will be able to prepare machine-readable way bills and invoices, transfer data to central server, and measure the weight and the height of the goods aided by special gauges. The cumulative result of all these checks is that the loaded vehicle will get a bar-coded transit pass displaying which on the wind-shield it will be able to move fast. Even other States can have online information from these new generation checkposts.

The Commissioner for Commercial Taxes, Mr N. Ramesh Kumar, is confident that the project will get Central approval and will be grounded shortly. He allays fears being entertained among the staff circles about privatisation of the checkposts and says "there is no truth in these rumours". He said that modernisation was being resorted to with a view to providing better infrastructure for the checkposts and improving their revenue. None of the checkposts would be closed nor will there be retrenchment of employees, he reassures.

The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) will execute the project on "build-operate-transfer" basis. The IOC has been selected for the job as it has petrol bunks at some of these checkposts already.

However, there is a plan to convert the inter-State checkposts at border points into common facility run by two States. Under this, some checkposts may have to be closed but staff will be repatriated elsewhere. For example three inter-State checkposts exist within a radius of 10 km on the Andhra-Orissa border--Girisula, Purushottapuram and Ichapuram, the first belonging to Orissa and the last two to Andhra. Owing to checks at three points, vehicles are getting stranded on the road for a considerable time resulting in traffic jams on the highway. To overcome this problem, only one checkpost is being thought of as a "common facility" under the modernisation and it will be located most probably at Purushottapuram. The closure of the other two has been accepted by the Orissa Government, Mr Ramesh Kumar stated.

Till date, Andhra Pradesh has no checkpost problem as far as Maharashtra is concerned as that State has no checkpost concept at all. This is so because Maharashtra does not levy any tax on agricultural produce which, in fact, is the main source of tax income in Andhra Pradesh. The other northern neighbour, Madhya Pradesh, has a limited border with Andhra--a little opening in Bhadrachalam area. A checkpost for this narrow corridor has been avoided so far in view of "a very limited transport activity". Regarding Karnataka and Tamil Nadu with which the State has vast borders, talks are yet to be initiated for closing down redundant checkposts and opening common ones.

Mr Ramesh Kumar considers IMPACT as an "absolute necessity" in view of the proposal to introduce VAT (value added tax) with effect from April, 2002 all over the country.

Meanwhile, the DCT has introduced a "Citizens' Charter" which specifies time limit for disposal of each category of application submitted by traders for one favour or the other. Under this, the department promises to issue registration within seven days in case of companies registered under the Indian Companies Act, 1956 and manufacturing units. The charter envisages issuance of statutory forms ( way bills etc) within 24 hours, tax-paid and tax clearance certificates within two days and tax- holiday/deferment certificates within 15 days. Deemed assessments are to be issued on the spot across the counter.

The charter says that in case the application is not disposed of within the time-limit specified, complaints can be lodged with the Commissioner, Deputy Commissioners and commercial tax officers.

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