Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur   

Protest halts traffic

Staff Reporter

Vehicular movement on NH-7 disrupted for six hours

FOR A CAUSE: Lorries held up due to protest by a driver on NH-7 at Anantapur on Sunday.

ANANTAPUR: Movement of vehicular traffic on NH-7 was disrupted for six hours in the district headquarters on Sunday, as a mini-lorry driver parked his vehicle across the road in protest against the alleged harassment by an Assistant Commercial Taxes Officer (ACTO). He was having all the necessary documents but the officer had taken the papers demanding money.

Leaders and activists of the CPI (M) led by district secretary of the party G. Obulakonda Reddy along with the police resolved the issue and the movement of traffic was restored after the lorry driver received his papers.

Two Town Inspector John Manohar tried to contact the ACTO, but he failed to turn up at the scene . However, he had sent the papers through an employee of his office.

According to B. Narasimhlu, the owner cum driver of the mini lorry, he was carrying a load of aluminium fixtures from Hyderabad to Bangalore on behalf of a trader and had all the necessary documents. When his vehicle had reached Tapovanam area , ACTO Ramesh Reddy and his staff stopped the vehicle on the pretext of checking.

The driver had shown all documents sought by the ACTO. The weight of the load was also found to be correct in theweighbridge. However, the ACTO allegedly demanded Rs. 3,000 from the driver . When the driver refused to pay stating that he had all the documents, the ACTO allegedly took the documents telling the driver that he could get them back only after the payment .

Agitated with the attitude of the ACTO, the lorry driver parked his vehicle across the road and launched a protest. Drivers of several other lorries and leaders of lorry owners' association of the town rallied behind him .

Suspension

Meanwhile, Mr. Obulakonda Reddy demanded suspension of the ACTO for harassing the lorry driver without any valid reason.

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