DIBRUGARH, March 16 � The Dibrugarh New Market Rice and Paan Shopkeepers� Society has expressed concern at the failure of the district administration to resolve the impasse over the enhanced rate of monthly rent paid by rice and paan shops in the New Market here, despite repeated pleas.
The Society had requested the administration to intervene in the matter of fixing the monthly rents following disagreements with the municipality over alleged arbitrary hike of the same. The district administration, as a follow-up measure, reportedly asked the municipality twice to submit a detailed report on the monthly rents paid to the municipality office in the past five years so as to resolve the deadlock.
However, the then Chairman of the Dibrugarh Municipality, Chandra Kanta Baruah, reportedly failed to submit any report. And the present executive officer of the Municipality, too, has failed to do the same.
The Dibrugarh New Market Rice and Paan Shopkeepers� Society is also miffed over the fact that while the rent issue is yet to be solved, fresh tender notices have already been issued.
The alleged apathetic attitude of the administration and the municipality has reportedly hit the shopkeepers of the New Market area hard. Prem Chand Shah, secretary of the Society, has said that the 60 percent hike in the rate imposed by the then Chairman for the preceding years is extremely high. He deplored the district administration�s failure to exercise its authority and resolve the issue.