Turn for the Revenue Department ?

D P Panmei *

Recently, the Electricity Department started a drive to disconnect defaulters who do not pay their electricity bills and put those who furtively connect or reconnect to the main power line to jail. Since long such a drive had been in the mind of the power department, particularly after the enactment of Manipur Electricity Act, 2003. Although the department had its helplessness to undergo such a drive due to some reasons, now the disconnection drive of the defaulters has been started.

Hope such a drive is carried out regularly by the department throughout the year. It will surely help to reduce the indebt amount to the consumers to some extent. It is also the expectation of those consumers who are regularly paying their monthly electricity bill that such a drive will automatically improve the power supply more than the present pathetic condition.

Moreover, the State Government employees don’t need to run for the “No Due certificate” from the electricity department for every 6th month for drawing their salaries as the drive has cleared all the defaulters!

It is learnt that Rs 280 crores is still indebted to consumers as power bills and only about Rs 15 crores could be collected from the ongoing drive that too mainly from the Imphal East and West Districts. Everyone has given the desire of conducting the same drive to the other Districts seriously so that it improves the collection drive more successful and meaningful.

It seems that the electricity department woke up finally after the PIL has been filed against it, though it is claimed that the disconnection drive is an independent action which had been longed for long time by the department.

Whatever it is, now the electricity department needs to monitor and continue the drive carefully so that it plays an important role in collection of power revenue. There arose many criticisms from many sections of public regarding the present power disconnection drive such as its hasty decision, timing of the Board and Secondary examinations, bias nature of staffs in duty which overlooks the defaulters by taking small bribe etc.

In a State like Manipur, as of now, it is difficult to imagine that the consumers intentionally pay their electric bill because they have been pampered for a long time and as a result they have started thinking that everything should be provided free of cost by the Government whether it is power, drinking water or land. There may be many other reasons which have brought up such matters to the present critical situation.

Is it due to the lack of proper law or its implementation, is a question to be answered. In my opinion, the main cause is the improper execution of the existing laws in the State/country which largely hampers the revenue collection in these fields. If you look at some other States of the country, every consumer has to pay his bills regularly and defaulters are fined/punished immediately. It doesn’t mean that the Government does nothing for the poor section of the society. Separate schemes and plans for the development/upliftment of socio-economic conditions of them are taken up even though their efficient and honest execution is in question.

I think, time has come for the Revenue Department to start the drive for recovery of land revenue which has been accumulated for many years. A total amount of about Rs 10 crores from the land revenue and Rs 70 lakhs from hill house tax are remaining in the form of arrears till 2010. The main reason for failure of the land revenue and house tax collection is the failure for execution of the power given under section-62 and subsequent sections of Manipur Land Reform and Land Record Act, 1960.

Section-62 of the Act states that an arrear of land revenue may be recovered by either
(i) serving a written notice to the defaulter the imposition of fine as fixed by the Government,
(ii) distraint and sale of the defaulter’s movable property, including the produce of the land or
(iii) by the attachment and sale of the defaulter’s immovable property. The arrear of House tax shall also be recovered in the same way as given in case of land revenue under section-62 of MLR&LR Act.

The Government gives power to the competent authority for collecting the land revenue arrear in legal manner. But slowly it becomes functionless and the authority could not properly execute their power given under this Act due to the disturbed law and order condition of the State. Earlier, the above mentioned section of the Act was fully operative and people used to pay their land revenue regularly.

In our childhood days we heard of Revenue Inspectors or Zilladars who used to take movable properties like hen, duck, utensils, cattle or paddy grains etc as land revenue if the pattadar fails to pay it. Now it becomes not feasible to do in that way. The land owners/pattadars are taking undue advantage of the bad law and order situation of the region.

They sometimes threaten and pay a deaf ear to the collection staffs (Zilladars) and it also cannot be denied that the staffs take benefit from it. It seems that the land holders have forgotten to pay their land revenue which is a meager amount in comparison to electricity or phone bills. It is time for the Government to support the Revenue Department towards full recovery of the revenue arrears. I must say that a similar drive like the Electricity Department is required as soon as possible for the recovery of land revenue.

Otherwise, things will remain unchanged and the arrear will piled-up to a larger amount. At one time people may start complaining and unable to pay their land revenue and house tax (for hill regions) as it piles up to larger amount. People should understand that there is no gain in accumulating the bills/charges/taxes because they have to pay it one day or the other. They should not make it a burden to themselves and their children in future. With more than 79% literacy rate in the State, it is no time to teach them how to behave as a good and responsive citizen.

Lastly, will it not be more meaningful and effective to raise our demands while also discharging our duty, instead of finding out excuses?