Nagaland Public Rights Awareness and Action Forum (NPRAAF) has expressed serious concern on the issue of prolonged delay on the part of the state government to implement the findings and recommendations of the “high powered committee on illegal and multiple taxation” which had submitted its report on June 10, 2015.
NPRAAF through its information & publicity cell stated that detailed findings of a committee that was constituted on popular demand by public to look into myriad of problems faced by them cannot be wilfully shelved icy cold on the pretext of examination by yet another committee.
It stated that the active examination of the HPC report by a committee headed by chief secretary reflected on two points: either (a) the state government did not trust the findings of the HPC that dedicatedly travelled places and met different strata of society to come out with its final detailed report. Setting up another committee to examine the report of an earlier committee is a clear sign of undermining the report of the previous committee or (b) The government is not committed to implement the findings and therefore adopting delay tactics by setting up unnecessary committee to examine HPC report.
Nagaland Public Rights Awareness and Action Forum stated that the government has spent a huge sum of money amounting to Rs 47, 88, 476 on the HPC, and its findings cannot be simply shoved under the carpet.
Whether acceptable or not, or whether there have been any anomalies, the report has to be made public since the HPC was constituted out of public demand, stated the release.
NPRAAF also urged the government to clarify on the excess amount of honorarium/salaries paid to the HPC chairman and two of its members. It stated that the monthly honorarium/salary for the chairman was Rs 1,00, 000 and Rs 50, 000 each for the other two members. Given the fact that the HPC took almost 10 months to complete and submit its final report, the 10 months honorarium/salary for the chairman should be Rs 10, 00, 000 but the government paid Rs 12, 00, 000. NPRAAF stated that was an excess of Rs 2, 00, 000 since the 10 months salary of the two members at the rate of Rs 50, 000 per month should be Rs 5, 00, 000 each but the government paid them Rs 6, 00, 000 each.
That is an excess of Rs 1, 00, 000 lakh each thus totalling the excess payment to HPC at Rs 4, 00, 000 for honorarium/salary alone.