Statesman News Service
MALDA, Dec. 26: The English Bazaar Municipality (EBM) officials are reluctant to execute collection of one per cent cess on the valuation of buildings as contribution to the welfare fund for unorganised labourers like masons and their helpers, despite several reminders, the assistant labour commissioner (ALC) in Malda has alleged.
“We have approached the English Bazaar civic body to execute the government plan to build welfare funds for masons and guided them how to collect one per cent tax before the approval of plans for commercial and residential buildings that are valued at more than Rs 10 lakh, but they have not responded positively to our appeal” said the ALC, Mr PP Das, adding Old Malda Municipality, a small civic body, responded rather quickly in comparison.
“We have already collected Rs 1.22 crore from various agencies like National Highway authorities, state public works departments, District Planning Development department, Malda Zilla Parishad, block and panchayat samitis but we are yet to receive a positive response from the EBM,” he said.
The vice-chairman of the English Bazaar civic body, Mr Dulal Sarkar, rubbished the allegation. “The ALC’s comment is not correct. The EBM is the first civic body in north Bengal to introduce the system of tax collection. To execute the welfare plan for masons, we had discussed the matter with municipal affairs minister Mr Asok Bhattacharya in Siliguri two months ago. We had collected nearly Rs 2.5 lakh for the fund. We will give it to the labour department soon.”
Mr Sarkar admitted, however, that the civic body officials were facing hurdles in estimating the cost of residential buildings before approving plans submitted by locals. “Many an applicant, to evade cess for the masons’ welfare fund, claims that the estimated cost of a building is less than Rs 10 lakh,” he disclosed.
According to the ALC, altogether 1800 masons have been enrolled for the welfare schemes in the district and more masons will be enrolled after the the by-poll in Sujapur.
Mr Das also met officials of a nationalised bank today to discuss the issue of opening bank accounts for masons across the district. He lamented that some bank managers in Kaliachak, English Bazaar and Manikchak did not extend cooperation in this regard.
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