JORHAT, June 10 - The Upper Assam Chamber of Commerce (UACC), a leading body of traders, has urged the Jorhat district administration to intervene and set aside the Jorhat Municipal Board�s decision to collect additional garbage charge monthly from the residents and business establishments by way of outsourcing.
The UACC in a memorandum to Jorhat Deputy Commissioner Roshni A Korati recently, pointed out that the JMB had authorised certain NGOs to collect garbage from private households and also business establishments and also directed the NGOs to collect additional garbage charge ranging from Rs 50 to Rs 3,000 monthly as per rates fixed category-wise by the JMB from the residents and owners of different types of business enterprises.
The memorandum further brought to the DC�s notice that the residents and commercial establishments within JMB area, which was spread over 19 wards, pay quarterly municipal tax in which charge for garbage collection by JMB workers was included.
Terming the JMB�s decision to collect additional monthly garbage charge by JMB, as �undue and an act of exploitation,� the traders� body urged the Deputy Commissioner to take necessary action to withdraw the said decision of JMB to levy additional garbage tax from households and business establishments.
It may be mentioned here that last month the JMB authorities removed big dustbin boxes placed at different localities in view of allowing private parties to collect garbage from the citizens� doorsteps.
However, there have been complaints from certain residents and commercial establishments from several parts of the town in the social media with photographs that collection of garbage by NGOs was carried out irregularly and also not during the first half of the day, thereby leading to dumping of waste material on the streets as the garbage bins were removed.
It may be mentioned here that the JMB presently is administered by Assistant Commissioner Aditya Vikram Yadav in the capacity of Executive Officer, after the term of the previous municipal board, administered by elected ward commissioners (with BJP majority) ended on March 31, 2020. The Jorhat Deputy Commissioner had directed Yadav to assume charge as Executive Officer of the JMB.
Meanwhile, the UACC and AICC secretary Rana Goswami, who is also a former Jorhat MLA, have separately urged the Jorhat Deputy Commissioner to grant exemption to commercial vehicles from the odd-even formula in force in the district since the third phase of lockdown for plying of all types of vehicles.
It may be mentioned here that under the odd-even system, all types of vehicles, both commercial and private, including two-wheelers, are allowed to ply on three notified days per week.
Both Goswami and UACC sought exemption of commercial vehicles from the odd-even system citing that the same was causing a lot of financial difficulties for owners of such vehicles.
Goswami pointed out that a large number of youths who had purchased goods-carrying commercial vehicles by availing bank loans and regularly paying heavy EMIs were facing problems to repay their monthly instalments and also to run their families, while the traders� body stated that most business establishments had only one vehicle, and due to the odd-even system, the shop owners had to hire vehicles at exorbitant rates due to non-availability of vehicles for the above-stated reason.
