States »EasPosted at: Nov 8 2021 7:32PM Social activists stage demonstration opposing Puri Civic body’s decision to collect user fee
Puri, Nov 8 (UNI) Social activists today staged a demonstration before the collector office and threatened to launch satyagraha to protest the decision of the Puti civic body to collect user fees from the residents.
As many as 21 city bases organisations formed a joint coordination committee led by the president of Puri Bikash Parishad Jagannath Bastia to protest the civic body’s decision.
A protest demonstration was staged in front of the collector’s office. The social activists announced to launch a Satyagrah against the civic body if the administration does not scrap the proposal.
The civic body has announced it will collect user fees from residents from November 10.
A charter of demand was handed over to Puri Collector Samarth Verma who is also the administrator of the civic body in the absence of an elected council.
During a discussion with the collector, activists pointed out that charging user fees on the pretext that huge money is being spent on the ongoing drive for improving sanitation and to pay the outsourced agencies is not based on facts.
Mr Bastia said residents are paying holding tax at enhanced rates to the municipality for sanitation, solid waste management. He further said it is the primary duty of the civic body to provide basic amenities to residents
This apart both union and state governments are releasing huge funds to the civic body as grants for collection of garbage and solid waste disposal work.
The decision of the civic body, the activists said, is arbitrary as the municipality has not organised ward committee meetings to get a public opinion before announcing it.
They described the action of the civic body as beyond the rule of governance, unconstitutional, illegal and against the interests of residents at large and demanded that it should be scrapped forthwith.
The Collector assured the delegation that he would discuss the issue with the civic body and consider the points of the demand letter. The activists have postponed their Satyagrah programme after an assurance from the district collector.
Noted social activist Chakradhar Mahapatra, Swadhin Kumar Panda, Suryanarayan Rath, Biswajit Pradhan, Sukant Panda, Shyamprakash Senapati and Jagannath Deo participated in the demonstration.
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