Chitradurga Zilla Panchayat president Soubhagya Basavarajan has instructed officers concerned to prepare a detailed list of wind turbines, solar power plants, garment factories, mobile phone towers, dabhas and industries in all six taluks of the district and submit it within a fortnight to ensure that these commercial units pay taxes to the gram panchayats concerned.
Speaking at a zilla panchayat general body meeting here on Tuesday, she said that the funds released by the government are not enough for implementing development works and also paying salaries of gram panchayat employees. There is a provision in the Panchayatraj Act to collect taxes from these units while issuing them permission and for licence renewal every year. The officers concerned should prepare a list of these units and collect taxes from these units.
“Gram panchayats should make proper use of the available resources and collect funds and ensure that more development works are implemented in their respective areas. The officers should give detailed information about such units to the zilla panchayat chief executive officer at regular intervals,” she added.
She also instructed zilla panchayat chief executive officer Nitesh Patil to initiate action against taluk executive officers who fail to provide proper information about the development works in their respective areas and also come to meetings without any preparation.
The zilla panchayat members alleged that a garment factory established at Anesiddri village by spending ₹ 27 crore has violated the norms.
Though there is a rule to give maximum employment to eligible youths from the district, the factory has appointed people from Tumakuru and Bengaluru. Action should be initiated against the factory authorities, they said.
The members also said that detailed information about solar power projects coming up in the district should be collected as there are many units that have not taken permission from the gram panchayats.
The authorities concerned should be given clear instructions to verify whether such units have taken the required permission or not and were paying taxes to the gram panchayats concerned, they said.
Based on the appeal from the members, Ms. Basavarajan instructed the officials to keep constant vigil on such units and ensure that they take permission and pay taxes regularly.
