KOHAT, Sept 26: Ever since the beginning of the operation of the Kohat-Japan Friendship Tunnel, the AXS Company who collects the toll tax and manages the tunnel, has been causing hurdles in the way of policing the adjoining tribal belt, Frontier Region of Kohat and inconvenience to the people.

The cars and vehicles of president, prime minister, chief justices of high courts, governors, chief justices and all serving or retired armed forces passing through the tunnel, built with the help of the Japanese government, without paying the tax!

It is estimated that at least 7000 vehicles pass through the tunnel daily, generating millions of rupees, but the Company is not ready to waive tax for ambulances and accompanying vehicles taking serious patients to or bringing patients from Peshawar and the policemen accompanying the top dignitaries’ cars and vehicles.

The toll tax varies with the size of the vehicle with the minimum Rs20 for small vehicles and maximum Rs200 for large vehicles like lorries and heavy trucks.

The company staff is collecting toll tax of the cavalcades of the chief minister and the governor from the district police in disregard of the NWFP Home Department order vide letter number SO (PATA)HD/12-11/Vol.II dated 28-07-2003 in which the Director-General of the National Highway Authority has been directed not to charge toll tax from the government vehicles accompanying cars of the governor and CM and the police patrolling the access roads which do not cross the tunnel.

However, the company officials continue to collect the toll tax from the local police in advance of the visits of the VVIPs.

According to a list finalized by the AXS Company and the NHA at the time of the award of the contract of the toll only the official vehicles of the President of Pakistan, Prime Minister, all the governors and chief ministers and the chief justices were exempt from the tax.

It is strange to note that the vehicles which are part of the cavalcade of the VIPs have not been exempted from the tax and now the matter has become a thorny issue between the parties concerned.

When contacted by Dawn AXS Company Assistant Manager Qadir Khattack and asked to give details like for what AXS stands for or how it got the contract for collecting the toll tax and which authority gave it the contract of the national, he said: “I do not know.”

It is important to note here that the governor, who belongs to Kohat and the Chief Minister pass through the tunnel at least once a week and the junior police officials, already hit by meagre salary and rising cost of living, had to pay the toll tax for VVIPs’ visit!

Recently, the tunnel staff was asked by the DPO, Kohat, to exempt the police vehicles patrolling the access roads which fall within the jurisdiction of the district police for the safety of the commuters.

The tunnel in-charge had issued stickers to the vehicles which were pasted on windscreens of all such vehicles but the toll plaza staff stops them and demands the toll tax.

The top police source on condition of anonymity told Dawn that this attitude of the toll plaza staff could lead to some serious incident some day.

He recalled that on Sept 22, 2003, the chief minister was officially scheduled to visit the district. All necessary deployment was made and the tunnel authorities were informed in advance of the VIP visit. Mr Hamayun Masood Sandhu, ASP of Saddar, was on a pilot duty with the VIP and moving towards the tunnel to receive the VIP.

The source said that although the local police had paid toll tax of six vehicles expected to accompany the chief minister in advance, the toll plaza staff demanded that the cavalcade was much bigger and, therefore, they should be paid the toll tax at least for 12 vehicles. He said the staff opened the road after the district nazim assured the staff that the tax would be paid in full.

Earlier, the SSP said they had paid in advance toll tax for 10 vehicles which were accompanying the governor during his official visit to Kohat. So, he said, there was no reason for the mistrust because “we had told the toll plaza staff that they would be paid according to the exact number of the vehicles accompanying the CM after his visit.”

Meanwhile, the people of the area have demanded of the NHA high-ups to direct the AXS Company not to charge toll tax from the vehicles and ambulances carrying bodies and seriously ill patients and their attendants to Peshawar.