The employees of Darjeeling municipality started an indefinite pen-down strike

 "Staff stop work to get back tax collection right"

Darjeeling, Aug. 4: The employees of Darjeeling municipality started an indefinite pen-down strike from this afternoon to protest against the civic body’s decision to allow people to pay property tax at banks, instead of the municipal office.

Rabi Magar, the general secretary of the Darjeeling Municipality Employee’s Union, said the Darjeeling subdivisional officer had taken the decision without even consulting the employees.

“The move has caused a lot of inconvenience to the people as tax details do not match at times and they have to constantly shuttle between the bank and the office. Moreover, around 16 of our employees are left with little work,” said Magar.

The SDO is also the chairperson of the board of administrators of the municipality. The new system was introduced on June 6.

The union showed copies of letters written by various associations like the Ganesh Gram Sewa Samity, Koseli Sangh and Gurkha Sudhar Samity, citing the inconveniences people had been facing ever since the Darjeeling municipality had stopped the collection of property tax.

“We started the pen-down strike from 1pm today and will carry on with the agitation till the decision is reversed. We will also hold a gate meeting on August 6 and all employees will take casual leave en masse on a later date,” said Magar.

The staff members alleged that the SDO had refused to listen to their grievances. “That is why we started the agitation,” said Magar.

The SDO, Tamal Das, said the banks had been given the task of tax collection to keep pace with time.

“Such a system is being introduced everywhere as we need to move forward. In this manner, we can slowly introduce net banking facilities to enable the people to make payments even from their homes. No individual has made any complaint against the payment of property tax through banks. Nevertheless, we are ready to address the grievances of tax payers,” he said.

Das ruled out the possibility of the municipality reverting to the earlier system.

“I have found out that no individual has to stand in queues for more than 15 minutes to pay the property tax in the bank. We have talked to the bank authorities and requested them to open more counters on days when there is a rush,” said Das.

The SDO added that the civic body would gradually hand over to the banks the task of collecting water bills, trade licence taxes and mutation fees.

“We have to move with time,” said Das.

~VIVEK CHHETRI(TT)