Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) has recruited 300 contractual staff in 10 zones of its jurisdiction to collect property and water taxes. The administration is paying a salary of Rs 60 lakh per month (or Rs 7.20 crore annually) to them, but their poor performances in collection of taxes puts us to think that they are not true to their salt. Hence as an administrative action the municipal commissioner G Sreekanth had ordered deduction of one day salary of the 21 personnel from different zones.
There are more than 4 lakh properties (residential, commercial and semi-commercial) and more than 3 lakh water connections. However, only 2.45 lakh properties and 1.60 lakh water connections are on the civic record or under the ambit of tax. Earlier,
the ward officers would cite excuses to the poor recovery of taxes claiming that they deprive adequate staff. Henceforth the CSMC appointed contractual staff. However, the public representatives and politicians recruited 90 percent of their nearer and dearer ones. Majority of them do not turn up at their respective ward offices.
The civic administration was receiving many complaints about poor performance of these personnel. The incident came to light when the municipal commissioner sought tax recovery updates during last month. The review of the collection revealed that the 21 personnel recorded zero collection. Hence the civic chief ordered deduction of Rs 1,000 from their salaries. The establishment section issued an order in this regard on Friday.
Mission Rs 410 crore
The CSMC has targeted to recover Rs 260 crore property tax. The target is also set to collect old property tax dues of Rs 150 crore. So far, the CSMC has collected Rs 100 crore property tax and Rs 16 crore as water tax (out of Rs 410 crore). The biggest worry for the CSMC is that 71 days are left for the conclusion of the current financial year.