Imphal, January 14: The Joint Coordinating Committee of Imphal Municipal Employees' Association and Imphal Municipal Employees' Union has alleged that most of the resources of the Council has landed in the private pockets thereby creating a situation wherein the Council has become unable to pay the salaries of its own employees in spite of the numerous taxes collected.

The Council generates its in-come from numerous taxes levied.

Octroi, toll tax, women vendor tax, parking fee, holiday tax, shop tax, stall tax, shop license fee and rickshaw tax are some of the main venues for generating revenue.

Out of these octroi, toll tax and holiday tax generates the highest revenues for the Council.

But the amount of taxes incurred to the Council never reach the target due to misutilisation of the taxes collected mid way, the Committee sources said alleged.

The sources said that al-though the Council keeps its target of collecting Rs 25 to 30 lakhs from Octroi tax in a month, it never achieved the target set.

Informing that the total amount of holiday taxes due from the various shops located in Khwairamband bazar area till August, 2002 is a whopping Rs 8,61,381, the sources questioned why the Municipal authority has not taken up any action against the defaulters so far and expressed apprehension whether the officials concerned are hand in glove with the shopkeepers in misutilising the income to be accrued to the Council.

The same is true in case of the toll tax as well, sources said, informing that the target of collecting Rs 3500 in a day has never been achieved.

The Committee has been demanding that the statements of the monthly income and expenditure of the Council should be made known to the employees' association as well but it has not been comply and the relevant statements kept conceal, sources alleged.

There are altogether 347 (regular) employees of the Council and for paying off their salaries the Council has to expend at the maximum Rs 24 lakhs in a month.

This amount can be easily managed from its own resources if the taxes collected have not been diverted elsewhere, sources said.

The employees of the Imphal Municipal Council (IMC) has been on strike since January 6 demanding payment of pending salaries for the last 14 months.

It has also resulted in piling up of garbage in and around the capital city causing lots of inconvenience to the public.

The striking employees also warned that drivers and chowkidars of the Council would also be joining the strike from January 17.

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