Look into issues affecting traders, residents, minister tells Chandigarh Administrator

Dushyant Singh Pundir

Chandigarh, October 1

Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal has written to UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit to look into some issues concerning the city residents. Meghwal has asked Purohit to issue instructions to the officers concerned for the necessary action.

It may be recalled that some representatives of the Chandigarh Beopar Mandal (CBM), LIG (U) Duplex Complex Welfare Society, Laghu Udyog Bharati, the Safai Karamchari Union and the Municipal Corporation had recently handed the minister a memorandum of some of their long-pending demands.

Chandigarh Beopar Mandal president Charanjiv Singh rued, “We have been facing some issues for a long time, such as the one-time settlement scheme for old VAT cases.”

He said there are 8,000 to 10,000 traders in the city who are currently facing pending VAT cases. He shared that they have been demanding the settlement of old cases along the lines of other states. “The Punjab and Himachal Pradesh governments had in the past come up with a one-time settlement (OTS) scheme to settle pending VAT assessment cases involving traders,” he pointed out.

Charanjiv added that they have been seeking permission to rectify old VAT assessment cases. Those prior to 2015–16 are not being rectified at the department level, and the assessees have to deposit 25% of the dues while filing an appeal with the Excise and Taxation Department, which he said is not in favour of the traders.

Another issue concerning the traders is the conversion of industrial and commercial properties to freehold.