The Indian Express 05.04.2013
PCMC says no ‘stringent’ LBT for 6 months
The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has promised to not apply
LBT stringently for first six months but shopkeepers and traders remain
defiant. For the fourth consecutive day, they kept shops shut, many of
them reportedly under coercion of fellow traders.
On Thursday afternoon, traders prevented corporators from
entering PCMC headquarters, creating a traffic jam for two hours. They
held a daylong dharna. They told corporators that they should oppose LBT
in the civic general body meeting and take up the issue with the civic
commissioner.
They took out a two-wheeler rally and raised slogans against the government.
At a workshop organised by PCMC for corporators to enlighten them
about LBT, Municipal Commissioner Shrikar Pardeshi tried to dispel fear
of traders of likely harassment under the LBT regime and said his
administration will ensure LBT is not enforced stringently.
“We will go by the rule book, but take up the complaints of the trading community and try to resolve them,” he said.
Pardeshi said the industrial community, which accounts for 70 per
cent of civic taxes, has accepted LBT, PCMC is not unduly worried about
it revenue sources. “Since the industrial community has no problem with
LBT, PCMC taxes would not be affected,” he said.
Nearly 80 corporators were present at the workshop especially organised by PCMC to remove confusion over LBT.
Meanwhile, Gajanan Babar, MP, leading the agitation in Pimpri
Chinchwad, said the bandh on Thursday was also total. “All shops
remained closed,” he said. Babar said even vegetable markets and medical
stores are supporting the strike.
However, R Shah, a shopkeeper, said that at some places small-time
traders who wanted to open their shops were forced to close. “Small-time
shopkeepers and traders for whom earning daily is crucial to run their
homes have been hit hard. They want to keep shops open, but are being
forced to down shutters,” he said.
