The subdivisional officer of Darjeeling has resigned from his post as chairperson

Darjeeling, Aug. 19: The the subdivisional officer of Darjeeling has resigned from his post as chairperson of the civic board after his efforts to modernise the system of paying taxes through banks met with stiff resistance from employees.

The decision comes even as the employees of the Darjeeling municipality decided to resume their pen-down strike from tomorrow, an impasse that will affect tax collection as well as issuing of civic documents like birth and death certificates.

The employees have alleged that the new norm introduced by the chairperson, under which property taxes have to be deposited in banks, has left 15 of them without any work. Besides, the process is also cumbersome, they said.

The Darjeeling Municipality Employees’ Union, which claims to be non-political, today said it would continue with the pen-down after a series of meeting with SDO Tamal Das failed.

The employees are demanding that the municipality’s move to entrust the Union Bank of India to collect the property taxes be withdrawn and the old system of depositing cash at the municipality office be revived.

Allan Chhetri, the president of the union, said: “We have decided to resume the pen down strike from tomorrow as the chairperson has not yet fulfilled our demand. The district administration has also not been able to find a solution.” The pen down strike had started on August 4 and was withdrawn on August 13 after the chairperson agreed to meet the agitating employees.

“We have heard that the chairperson has resigned. Every time a new chairperson comes to the municipality, they impose their own rules. Even this decision (to resign) had been taken without consulting the employees,” alleged Chhetri.

The SDO is the ex-officio chairperson of the municipality as elections to the civic body have not been held since 2009 because of the opposition of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. Since then, three SDOs have been given charge of the three hill municipalities.

Das admitted that he has resigned. “I held a meeting with the employees on Wednesday and told them that we should continue with both the systems. Those wanting to pay property taxes at the banks could continue doing so there and those wanting to pay in cash at the office could also do so. However, the union did not accept this proposal. I have written to the district magistrate stating that I did not wish to continue in this post.”

Darjeeling district magistrate Mohan Gandhi, however, said the chairperson could not resign. “He cannot resign as it is an ex-officio post. We will try and sort out the matter as early as possible,” said Gandhi.

He said an ex-officio chairperson means whoever becomes the SDO will automatically be the municipality caretaker. Das’s resignation has not been accepted.

The employees have, however, refused to budge from their stand and said their demand has to be fulfilled.

“Sixteen employees responsible for collecting the taxes are now without work at the municipality. Making payments at the bank is cumbersome and at times the records do not match. We are aware that our pen down causes inconvenience to the general public but we request them to kindly co-operate with us,” said Chhetri.

Das had earlier said he had introduced the new system in tune with the times. “We need to move forward. After sometime, we can introduce Net banking to make payments even from their homes. I haven’t come across any grievances in the past one-and-a-half months that it has been introduced,” Das had earlier said.

At the moment other taxes like the water, trade licence renewal and mutation fees have not been referred to the banks. But because of the pen-down, these taxes cannot be deposited at the municipality.

Asked if the Morcha, the dominant party in the hills, would try to dissuade the agitators, party general secretary Roshan Giri said; “We are yet to find out what is happening: what is the stand of the employees and what the government wants. Then we will try to work out a solution.”

-VIVEK CHHETRI(TT)