The State Government has ordered a probe into the reported cases of teachers receiving notices from Income tax department for not submitting their due taxes for last financial year. The teachers are agitated as the department officials had deducted the tax from their salaries. The state education minister, Mantri Prasad Naithani told newsmen at Vidhan Sabha auditorium on Tuesday that issue is really a serious one and those responsible for the error would be taken to task. It is learnt that the problem arose as the department failed to dispatch the annual statement of the deductions of its employees to the income tax department.
The teachers who have received the notice are blaming the department for the error. One a teacher who received the notice of the Income tax department said that a total of Rs17,000 was deducted from his salary as tax for the year 2014-15 but now he has received notice from Banglore office of the Income tax department. The President of Junior High School Shikshak Sangh, Subhash Chauhan said that it is unfortunate that the teachers and other employees of the department are facing problem due to departmental neglect. He said that the teachers from all parts of the state are receiving notices from the income tax department despite of the fact the department deducts the tax in advance.
The numerical strength of the lTs and lecturers in the state is about 25,000 and these teachers are instrumental for smooth conduction of the all important examination in which more than three lakh students are scheduled to participate across the state. Services of more than 15000 teachers are required as invigilators per day for smooth conduction of these examinations. On the call boycott call given by the association, the department retaliated by invoking the provision of Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA). By invoking this act the department has enforced a moratorium on strike or work boycott for next six months.
The leaders of RSS have made it clear that they would not get bogged down by such acts of intimidation. Experts are of the view that the department should prepare a contingency plan in case the teachers decide to go ahead with their threat of boycott of board examination so that the future of lakhs of students is not jeopardize.