HimVani
Shimla: Citizens of merged area of Municipal Corporation Shimla submitted a memorandum to Himachal Pradesh Governor Urmila Singh here today under the banner of ‘Shimla Sub-urban Public Welfare Co-ordination Committee’, showing resentment on imposing tax on them. While filing the memorandum, the citizens have appealed to return the bill sent by state assembly for her consideration without giving assent to it.
“Our fight against the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) and state government would continue until the decision is not taken to revoke tax on merged areas of SMC “, President of Shimla Sub-urban Public Welfare Co-ordination Committee Chander Paul Mehta said this in a press conference on Tuesday after submitting a memorandum. Co-coordinator of newly formed Shimla Nagrik Sabha Kuldeep Singh Tanwar was also present in the press conference. Chander Paul Mehta also said, “Delegation of committee represented the government and she assured to rethink over Municipal Corporation Amendment Bill passed by Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha and tax system of Delhi can’t be followed in Shimla. Government should firstly develop Shimla town like a metropolitan city than it should impose the taxes on the public of the town.”
Briefing details of tax imposed on merged areas on different occasions Chander Paul Mehta said that in the year 1999 such decision to impose tax was taken by the government but later it was revoked by then Chief Minister, Prem Kumar Dhumal. “Now government has passed the bill to impose tax on merged areas and we will again oppose it as government has not provided basic facilities in theses areas.”
Committee in its memorandum to governor said the people of the area are also waiting for regularization of their houses, which government has termed as unauthorised, but in previous three years not a single house had been regularized by the government. Giving his view point on the merger of rural areas into MC, Chander Paul Mehta said these areas were directly merged instead of which government should have merged the areas in a stepwise manner.