Statesman News Service
MALDA, 10 DEC: The English Bazaar Municipality today launched a special drive towards resource mobilization.
The civic body got its wake up call after it failed to disburse pension to its retired employees on time in December due to lack of funds.
Conventionally the civic body clears pension on the third day of every month this month it ran short of funds and cleared the dues on 7 December due to fund crunch.
According to the EBM authority, the civic body requires Rs 15.26 lakh every month to clear pension of its retired staff.
Admitting the civic body's fund position was not healthy the EBM vice chairman Mr Dulal Sarkar, said: “ We have to first pay off pension from own funds and are reimbursed a part of it by the state government (pension relief fund) latter. The state government has not been able to pay us for the 2006-07 financial year and owes us nearly Rs 55 lakh".
“Under the circumstances, we were forced to launch a special drive to improve our fund position by collecting outstanding taxes, from trade license fees, by charging defaulters spot fines and through other fees and charges from various sources including the commercial buildings,” Mr Sarkar said.
EBM's records show that the state government did not clear relief pension funds for the financial year 2006-07 because the file the concerned file is “missing.”
While the EBM authority claims it had sent the concerned file, the state government says it did not receive it. The EBM is get Rs.19.65 lakh as relief pension for the 2006-07 financial year from the state government.
The EBM's fund position has turned the civic body's employees’ unions apprehensive. There is a growing fear that the civic body might fail to pay its permanent and casual workers as, the EBM requires Rs 20 lakh per month to pay its 1200 casual workers.
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