Imphal, September 27: The Imphal Municipal authority has not been able to pay the salaries of its employees for the last fifteen months due to the non payment of Rs 78, 25,384 by two contractors who had been assigned to collect the Octroi taxes of the IMC from the public, disclosed Imphal Municipal Council chairperson G Moirangjao.

Talking to media-persons today, G Moirangjao informed that the police too have not been able to arrest the two contractors till today despite repeated appeals from the IMC authority.

He also said that the work of collecting taxes from the public was given to the two contractors after it was privatised on April 1 2003.The two contractors have been identified as Th Ranbir, proprietor of Nonggin Enterprises and Th Devendra of Thongju Part II.

Th Debendra is supposed to pay Rs 13,17460 while Th Ranbir has to return Rs 65,07924 to the IMC authorities.

Besides making all efforts to nab Th Devendra, the matter has also been informed to the DGP said G Moirangjao adding that legal notice has also been served on Th Ranbir.

As per the contract agreements signed between the two contractors and the IMC authority, both the contractors are supposed to deposit Rs 62,49,300 each to the IMC as advance security deposit, informed G Moirangjoa.

However Th Ranbir deposited only Rs 20,83,100 while Th Devendra fail to deposit any amount to the IMC authorities, added G Moirangjao.

On being questioned why the IMC authority failed to take any deposit from Th Devendra, G Moirangjao evasively answered that the IMC authority was not able to deal with the matter very effectively as there were pressure from various UG groups.

He further said that many IMC officials have been threatened and some even attacked with bombs by UGs on the matter.

He further stated that the system of allotting contract to private individuals for collecting octroi taxes had been cancelled on August 6 and the work of collecting the octroi have been assigned to the IMC officials.

Ward No 12 councillor N Mema, chairperson (project) who also attended the press conference expressed great dissatisfaction at some of the organizations who stood in favour of the two contractors and added that these organizations were working against the public by supporting the two contractors.

Officials of the IMC also informed that the IMC is likely to lose a few lakhs of rupees as the Revenue Dept had given out the patta of some of the land belonging to the IMC without informing the IMC authorities.

They further informed efforts are on to take up legal actions against the Revenue Dept on the matter.

Comment