Municipality employees go on strike

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

BIRGUNJ: Employers of the Birgunj Sub-Municipality office today started indefinite strike when Parsa administration stopped them from collecting vehicle tax from Shankaracharyadwar area.

Acting chairperson of the Nepal Municipality Staff Union Unit Kishor Singh Rajput said that the staff union and local body staff association had jointly staged protest when their demand to dissolve the decision of the municipality to discontinue tax collection fell on deaf ears.

CDO Shambhu Koirala suspended tax collection from Sunday telling that the contract to charge vehicle tax in Nepal-India bordered Shankara-charyadwar area was implemented illegally.

Irate staffers halted the official work except fire extinguisher and health service from 1 pm today. Staff chairperson said that they have stopped collecting garbage from peoples’ houses.

Municipality’s Revenue Section chief Shambhu Gupta said that the cessation of the vehicle tax contract affects the unified medium urban development, drinking water, education and health projects.

The municipality has given the contract to collect vehicle tax from Gandak Canal, Pipra Link Road, Shankarcharayadwar, Chapkainya Bazaar to Ranighat, Bhishwa Chowk, railway line road, inner bypass roads for the fiscal year 2012/13.

According to the sources in the municipality, the office has given the vehicle tax collection contract as per Article 139 and 144 of the Autonomous Rule Act, 1998. Also, the municipality has the right to collect tax from the roads constructed under its control or constructed by themselves, but has given the contract to collect the tax from highway as well. Such discrepancies gave way to the current stand-off.

Municipality’s acting officer Shanta Basnet said they have given the contract of the roads as per the rule. “Before declaring tax collection centre we had reached an agreement with the local administration and police,” he added.