The crux of the problem seems to be the inclusion of tractors in the `agricultural vehicles' category, which exempts their owners from paying tax. Taking advantage of this, owners have pushed 400 tractors into carrying commercial goods -- sand, tiles, wood and other commodities -- rightfully the domain of trucks.

Neither the Regional Transport Office nor the police seem to be able to do anything about this illegal business, reportedly because the tractor-owners -- mostly Saurashtrians -- wield a great deal of clout with the powers that be. An RTO official admitted as much, telling Express Newsline bluntly, ``The department has been specifically asked to overlook the practice''.

After submitting a dozen memoranda criticising the conversion of tractors into commercial vehicles, truck-owners began a hunger strike in the city on Thursday.Among those approached are the district collector, the city police commissioner, the additional police commissioner, the regional transport officer, the State secretary of the Mines and Mining department and the municipal commissioner.

Alleges L R Sharma, president of the Surat Transporters' Association, ``The traffic police have been receiving regular hafta and the RTO officers have no time to look into the issue, because they get more money for patrolling the highways near Hazira (industries).''

``There is a clash of interests between two groups of professionals and it is the RTO that has a direct bearing on the issue'', says ACP P C Thakur, who is the traffic in-charge. ``The traffic police has provided personnel to the RTO to impound tractors. Seventeen such tractors have been detained for carting commercial goods illegally in the past week.''

If the police prefer to pass the buck, the RTO is no better. Says Regional Transport Officer K M Patel, ``Basically, even the police have rights under the Motor Vehicle Act (to) help in checking the menace''.A different picture was presented by an official who told Express Newsline on condition of anonymity, ``These people (the tractor-owners) have personal connections at Gandhinagar, even with the CM. The department has been asked specifically to leave them alone.''

More serious charges come from men participating in the hunger-strike. ``The traffic police is taking Rs 1500 per month for letting the tractors and chakdas operate illegally'', claims Makabhai Haribhai Bharwad, president of the Varachha Road Local Truck Carting Owners' Association, whose members are on hunger-strike. Vice-president Vikramsingh Jadeja joins in, ``These RTO chaps are no better. They are getting money. Why will they stop the tractor-owners?''

Though exempt from all taxes if used for agricultural purposes, tractors are supposed to pay a lumpsum Rs 25,000 if used commercially.Trucks, however, have to pay either Rs 6000 twice a year or Rs 11,000 annually. With the Gandhinagar corridors reportedly pulling the strings in this case, it seems that commercial truck owners of the city are in for some tough times.