Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, June 23 2010:
Even though transport department is strict enough in collecting vehicle taxes from the general public by imposing fines to those defaults, departmental vehicles are sending free hand.
The state transports could not collect vehicles taxes amounting to over 36 lakh from 33 departments under the state government.
This has given a great impact to the revenue generation target of the department, an official source observed.
The department targeted to collect revenue of Rs 4 crore during the last financial year, 2009-10.But the same target was failed to achieve.
Manipur government has fewer departments that can contribute to the revenue collection.
But transport department is among the fewer departments that can collect government revenue regularly.
But non-clearance of vehicle tax by government departments couple with outnumber problems confronting by the state right from law and order, frequent bandhs, blockades and other forms of strikes, the department is facing problems in the revenue collection.
State government has 61 departments and 28 government undertaking corporations.
But due to non-clearance of vehicle taxes regularly by 33 of them, the transport department is not able to collect Rs 35,82,845 .
The due amount the vehicle tax to be cleared by the faulty departments on or before March 31, 2009 and if the tax for the year 2010 which is also still due, the pending amount would be over Rs 80 lakhs, official source maintained.
According to the available data of default departments, the due amounts which departments are to clear by March 31, 2009, are Rs 9,91,266 for PHED, IFCD-Rs 5,13,433, electricity department Yurembam-Rs 4.93,000, PWD-Rs 3,01,800, medical directorateRs 2,74,521, family welfareRs 1,76,682, engineering section of IMC-Rs 1,18,060 and horticulture departmentRs 1,02,804 .
The directorate of veterinary and animal husbandry has a due to Rs 18,387, project director AIDS Control Society-Rs 2,615, directorate of education (U)Rs 17,020, directorate of education (s)Rs 5,380, AIR ImphalRs 420, MAHUDRs 6,216, directorate of fisheries Rs 32,120, social welfare department-Rs 81,721, minor irrigationRs 94,486, commissioner of taxationRs 10,068, SDI (administration) c/o general manager, telecomRs 3290, director of FCL Rs 40,520, directorate of wirelessRs 37,455, MANITRONRs 8,140 .
An amount of Rs 44,791 due with Forest department, Rs 8,000 with directorate of sericulture, Rs 3.615 with industries, Rs 25,540 with controller of technical education, Rs 1,650 for HCEO, Rs 1,280 with Manipur state social welfare board, Rs 1,280 with Tasar, Rs 22,732 with tribal development corporation, Rs 8,320 with directorate of art and culture, Rs 6,484 with handloom and handicraft development society and Rs 30,160 with Spinning mill.
Interestingly, even though the transport department could not collect the due tax with government departments, with the help of the police department, the department collects tax from the private and commercial vehicles by conducting drive against the defaulters.
When individual or private parties failed to clear the amounts of each vehicles before the expiry of the due dates, that is March 31 of every year, they imposed fines to the defaulters.