₹69 lakh Tasalmat funds recovered from Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation!

Success to Hindu Janajagruti Samiti’s ‘Surajya Abhiyaan’!

(Tasalmat : Advances)

Bhayander – For the past 28 years, Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation has not recovered Rs. 1 Crore, 26 lakhs, 1 thousand 276 that was disbursed as Tasalmat. Hindu Janajagruti Samiti’s ‘Surajya Abhiyaan’ revealed this shocking information through a Right to Information enquiry. Surajya Abhiyaan had warned of organizing a mass movement if this huge amount collected from the tax-payers was not recovered immediately. Due to this, the municipal administration recovered 69 lakh 70 thousand 710 rupees. Dr. Uday Dhuru, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti’s Surajya Abhiyaan coordinator, said that this development was a sort of success. He was speaking at a press conference organized by the ‘Surajya Abhiyan’ in the Shri Gajanan Raghunath Thakur Auditorium, Sahkar Jyot Society, Bhayander (W). Mr. Abhishek Murukate of ‘Surajya Abhiyan’ was also present.

Dr. Dhuri said,

1. It is mandatory by law to provide details and evidence of how the advances amount were utilised. It is also mandatory to submit bills and deposit the balance on time. It is a law that no new advance can be disbursed without clearing the previous advances. The Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation completely disregarded this rule and kept disbursing the advances.

2. According to the information communicated to Surajya Abhiyaan by the municipal administration, there are still arrears of Rs.56 lakh 30 thousand 566, pending since 1993. It is understood that there are still some difficulties in recovering arrears amounting to 17 lakh 1 thousand 499 rupees.

The remaining 56 lakh rupees should be recovered with 8 percent interest!

The arrears of lakhs of rupees since 1993 are the result of mismanagement by the administrative authorities. This is criminal misuse of the tax-payer’s hard earned money. Therefore, the administrative officers who neglected the recovery of these lakhs of rupees from the public for the past several years are equally guilty. The government should also inquire whether there is any vested interest of the concerned authorities in not collecting these arrears, and also complete the recovery of 56 lakh 30 thousand 566 rupees with 8 percent interest, and within a time limit. Otherwise this money should be recovered from the salary of those officials who wilfully disregarded these arrears. We demand that cases be registered against those who embezzled the ‘Tasalmat’ amount.

Mr. Abhishek Murukate said “If the administration does not recover the money which is earmarked for the development of the city immediately, we will initiate legal action”.

The Samiti is grateful to the journalists of Mira-Bhayander Road for covering this issue diligently since our first press conference on this issue in January 2022.