Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) Alekh Chandra Padhiari has directed the Sambalpur civic body authorities to submit details of the tollgates of its jurisdiction.
It has been alleged that the municipal authorities, contravening the order of the State Government, are allowing a private agency to collect entry fee and parking fee from the vehicles entering into the town. But the Urban Development department in a letter in March, 2011 has clearly restricted collection of illegal fees.
The municipality in its council meeting has also decided not to collect the fees.In spite of this, the private agency has been collecting the illegal fees worth crores of rupees, source said.
Civil society members have alleged that the illegal collection is continuing because the administration has cast a blind eye on it. Moreover, the private agency in order to keep the practice going had appealed against the orders of the State Government through a writ petition in the Odisha HC. Surprisingly, the municipality of late has floated fresh tender inviting interested agencies for toll gate operation.
It is also alleged that the municipal authorities are neglecting the regular sources of its income from holding tax, licence fees from shops and commercial bodies and tax from its own market complexes. The RDC after being apprised of the issue has taken the step to disband the practice as per law.
