PCMC on Internet sans computers for its depts

PUNE, Aug 4: The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation PCMC has its own website and boasts of being able to communicate globally, but ...

PUNE, Aug 4: The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation PCMC has its own website and boasts of being able to communicate globally, but communication in its internal departments has taken a beating for the lack of computers and also trained manpower.

The PCMC had drawn an ambitious plan of computerisation of all the departments a year back, but no substantial work has been made. Except for the octroi department, all other departments have no necessary computer equipment.

Work at the tax collection department, which is the second most important unit after octroi, has been tedious for want of computers. The pilot project of the PCMC to use the software for collection of property tax prepared by the Mahindra British Telecom MBT has been delayed for nearly three months due to non-availability of computers. MBT has prepared the software free-of-cost for the PCMC as a community service. Its first application was to be made at the Bhosari zonal office of the PCMC. Its use is likely to be further delayed as the PCMC is still in the process of getting computers and recruiting trained persons.

As the number of properties has exceeded from 86,000 to 1.32 lakh after merger of eighteen villages, the work of the property tax collection department has increased substantially. According to official sources, there is an urgent need of computers at all the 14 zonal offices. The civic employees who are engaged in the work of compiling information about tax arrears and demands could be put in for the work of assesment and tax collection, the sources add.

It is not the tax collection department alone which feels the need of computers. Officials say that internal communication would improve significantly as official directives and other information can be sent from the central department to other units.

The PCMC also lacks in trained manpower for computer applications. The standing committee last month approved the proposal of training civic employees for which the fees will be reimbursed. Officials are to be given training at the PCMC office itself, but the training has not been started. According to official sources, the recruitment of computer professionals such as data entry operators has been deferred because of the election code of conduct.

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Tax dues
The PCMC property tax collection department in a special drive has collected an amount of Rs 1.26 crore in the past four months. A list of 258 tax defaulters from whom dues in excess of Rs 50,000 was prepared and accordingly notices were issued. Sick industrial units figure prominently in the tax defaulters list. The total dues from the defaulters are to the tune of Rs 3.25 crore.