The Nagrik Sangharsh Samiti, Business Association and the Sangharsh Samiti formed by nine villages will, from Friday, stage joint protest against the Pauri Municipal Board for imposing house tax in the nine villages under municipal purview and imposing additional tax on homes and imposition of commercial tax on the business community in Pauri town.
The nine villages were exempt from house tax since 1977. This decision was taken in a joint meeting of these three associations. The business association has decided that the market will remain closed on Friday in protest.
The agitation will continue till the Municipal Board withdraws the decisions being opposed. The planned protest is being seen as a direct confrontation between the public and municipal board headed by its chairman Yashpal Benam. The public will also raise the demand for filling the vacant posts of doctors and construction of nursing college sanctioned earlier by the Government.
The NSS president Jagdish Bisht, Business Association president Virendra Rawat, village Sangharsh Samiti convenor Sumant Negi presided over a meeting and decided to launch joint protest against the municipal board.
All those attending the meeting expressed anger at the proposal of the board to charge additional house tax of Rs 500 per room and impose house tax of Rs 200-300 on the houses in nine villages. The people alleged that in stead of facilitating redressal of civic problems like damaged roads, improper drainage, encroachment, stray animals and improper disposal of garbage, the board is imposing additional burden of house tax at a time when the people have been affected by the disaster which struck the State in June.
It is pertinent to mention here that the residents of the nine villages in question have already staged a protest against the proposed imposition of house tax and have submitted a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna on the issue about a fortnight ago.