As many as twenty outfits and individuals in memorandums to district Collector Samarth Verma on Monday opposed the decision to collect user fee by the Puri Municipality from city residents. Terming user fee as unlawful, undemocratic and anti-people, the outfits urged the Collector to revisit the decision.
“We have given our memorandum to the Collector against user free as it is unlawful. Since the municipality has been collecting holding tax from the residents, user free is another burden on people which is unlawful,” said Kumar Utsav Committee general secretary Swadhina KumarPanda. He said that as the State Government is being funded from the Centre under the Swachh Bharat Mission, there is no basis of further collection from the residents. However, Municipality Executive Officer Saroj Swain said the civic body has no option than collection of user fee for its own sustainability as per solid waste management rules. For last two years, the municipality has been bearing the burden from its own coffer though it is meant for collection from the residents.Sources said that the municipality has outsourced oganisations like ADS and Shreenath for collection of wastes from the residents.
Notably, the municipality as per the November 2 notification is going to collect user fee this month from the residents, shops, private offices, hotels and business establishments. It has categorised the fee ranging from Rs 25 to Rs 2,000 per month in accordance with the area of buildings and the nature of their uses. As per the rate chart, residents occupying a 3,000-sqft area have to spend an additional Rs 100 per month besides paying holding tax annually. The fee is more for business points and commercial establishments.