PALAKKAD: The implementation of the online green channel system by the Commercial Taxes Department could help smoothen the flow of traffic through the Walayar checkpost.
This green channel was one of the primary demands of the Lorry Owners Co-ordination Committee who had spearheaded strikes on two occasions in the last one year to prevent the delay in clearance of the vehicles.
Inspecting Assistant Commissioner of the Walayar checkpost K Padmakumar informed that car gaadis and custom sealed containers would pass through the green channel. He said that the green channel system which was functioning in the building of the Animal Husbandry Department has now been shifted to a site near the quarters of Malabar Cements. Around 150 to 200 car gaadis and field containers pass through the checkpost daily and the channel is expected to speed up their movement.The introduction of online clearance at the green channel by replacing the manual method will help track the goods transported by the lorries and tallying it with the Tax Identification Number (TIN) which in turn will check evasion of taxes. The various offices under whose jurisdiction the destination of the goods have been mentioned will also be able to track and check the consignment. This will also help matching with the returns filed by the dealers later.Meanwhile, the coordinator of the All Kerala Lorry Owners Federation M Nandakumar said that post the strike of the lorry owners, there have been welcome changes on the ground.
He said that due to the inability to set up the green channel on forest land, it has been set up near the MCL quarters. He said that vegetables, eggs and other perishable commodities should also be passed through the green channel so that the parking bay of goods lorries is left untouched. These vehicles after passing the green channel can then collect their token and proceed to Kerala.He said that if 50 car gaadis and container lorries were made to proceed through the existing checkpost, it would have resulted in a 1-km queue clogging traffic.“Moreover the Commercial Tax Department has deposited ` 12 lakh and the Water Authority has begun to lay pipelines to provide potable water to the crew of the lorries which was also a positive development,” said Nandakumar.