Tags:
Journalism of Courage
PUNE, April 1: Intense checking and stern measures to curb octroi evasion boosted the collection of octroi with the Pune Municipal Corporation PMC crossing its own target of Rs. 212 crore for the financial year 1998-99.
Not only has the PMC crossed its target by netting in Rs. 212.10 crore, but has registered an increase of Rs 30.84 crore as against last year8217;s octroi collection of Rs. 181.26 crore, Additional Municipal Commissioner Deepak Kapoor told media persons today.
With 50 per cent of the civic body8217;s revenue obtained from octroi, the target for the year 1998-99 had been fixed at Rs 205 crore, which was later increased to Rs. 212 crore by the standing committee.
A series of intensified recovery drives and well-chalked out strategies to curb evasion of duty payments was planned throughout the year which also helped the PMC notch up the first rank in the fastest collection category followed by Thane and Nashik.
Out of Rs. 212.10 crore, the PMC obtained Rs. 142.68 crore by collection of octroi at check posts, Rs. 66.30 crore from major companies who are account holders with the civic body and Rs. 3.12 crore by checking and levying compounding fees from traders who evaded duty payment.
Moreover there has been a substantial rise in the collection from these three avenues as against last year 8211; by Rs. 27.02 crore at check posts, Rs 3.45 crore from account holders and Rs. 36.44 lakh from fines.
Kapoor admitted that it was a daunting task to achieve the target of Rs. 212 crore. However with monthly operations and carrying out nakabandi at 30 places, levying fines helped speed up the collection, Kapoor said adding that he was disappointed by the cloth traders who continued to evade octroi. Shops like Vama, Kajri, Dulhan, Bharat Woollen, Kasat, Azad, Mens8217; Avenue and others at Laxmi Road continue to evade payment and have been slapped with sizable fines, Kapoor said.
In 60 cases of evasion by gold and silver traders, the department recovered Rs 55 lakh as compounding fees while multinational companies like Pepsi, Amul, Britannia, Tata Honeywell and Bharat Forge were not spared. Kapoor said that major companies who are account holders with the PMC have started paying up the dues with the department raking in a cool Rs 5.25 crore from four to five companies in the last week.
Even as the new target for the year 1999-2000 has been fixed at Rs 223 crore, the standing committee has increased it to Rs 239 crore. While Kapoor said that recession had hit the production volume, he hoped to net in the new target by evolving hard hitting strategies. A proposal to providegroup mobile phones for the staff and Rs 300 as outdoor duty allowance has been submitted to the Municipal Commissioner.
