The Darjeeling municipality decided to disconnect water connections of nearly 160 tax defaulters

Darjeeling, Oct. 20: The Darjeeling municipality has decided to disconnect water connections of nearly 160 tax defaulters, an indication that the administration is trying to get a grip on the state of affairs in the hills by going on a drive to collect its dues.

The civic body has already identified the top five property tax defaulters in each of the 32 wards of the municipality. The highest tax default is Rs 5.86 lakh, followed by Rs 2.85 lakh and Rs 2.34 lakh.

The mop-up drive comes after three years during which the government had avoided all confrontation with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha which renewed the statehood agitation in the hills.

Although the Morcha had kept the hill civic bodies out of the ambit of its non-co-operation movement against the government — when it had asked the hill people not to pay taxes like electricity and telephone bills, land rents and even transport taxes — the administration had not taken any action against civic defaulters.

The Morcha had exempted the hill municipalities from its movement on the ground that the local bodies had to raise their own funds to meet 20 per cent of its total expenditure on the salary of its staff, who are mostly local people. The non-cooperation movement had started in April 2008.

Although the municipality claimed that the decision to book defaulters was taken to bail out the civic body from financial crisis, observers believe it is aimed at sending out a strong message.

Tamal Das, chairperson of the board of administrators that runs the civic body, said: “The municipality is facing a huge financial crunch and this is why we decided to take stern action. We have already issued notices to the top five defaulters in each of the 32 wards and our officials have started disconnecting water supplies to those households whose owners have not replied appropriately to our notices.”

Meaning business, Das said: “We will give the defaulters 15 days’ time after which we will also start disconnecting sewerage connections.”

The Darjeeling municipality is indeed facing a huge financial crunch. Sources said the total outstanding dues crossed the Rs 8 crore mark on March 31, 2011. “It is difficult for us to manage as we have to pool in 20 per cent of the salaries of the 456 permanent employees of the municipality. Also, we do not get any financial help to pay the 193 daily wage workers who get Rs 75 a day,” said a municipality official.

The civic body collects around Rs 25 lakh per month as various taxes. But the total expenditure on salaries, wages of daily workers, gratuity to retired employees and a portion of the pension stands at Rs 1.02 crore. Sources said the municipality was running on a monthly deficit of Rs 20 lakh. “We need to collect around Rs 45 lakh per month to function smoothly,” said an official.

Often, the municipality has to pay hill allowances from its own kitty as the government delays payment.

Observers feel that the recent civic drive would be a cue to government departments to mop up other outstanding dues like the electricity tariff. The hills have not paid electricity bills worth Rs 80 crore to the power department. The Morcha has asked the hill people to clear the dues only from August 2011.

But there is still no word either from the party or the state government on the collection or settlement of other outstanding dues — like telephone bills and land tax to name a few — that have reached Rs 100 crore.

TT