Residents unhappy with Guwahati Municipal Corporation; taxes paid but facilities not delivered

GUWAHATI: Residents have started questioning and are unhappy with the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), as it is collecting huge amounts of taxes in the name of property taxes. The main reason for this unhappiness lies in the fact that GMC collects taxes, but the taxpayers often do not receive the facilities they should. The residents who own properties are obliged to pay taxes to GMC, but ideally, these funds should be utilized by them for the public.

According to one GMC official, "We conduct various activities, be it water supply, garbage collection, or pending works on the drainage system. There is equipment that is used for these works to be done. We start our work in the morning and continue until it is done. We do receive complaints and are trying to work on them."

The most important issue is the water crisis or lack of water supply that every household suffers from. According to one resident, "The water supply issue is nothing new, and it will always remain a problem. The water we get is either contaminated or we do not get any water at all and we end up buying water."

Another from Rukminigaon said, "The footpaths are not well maintained. The roads are broken, with numerous potholes. It's very difficult for us pedestrians to use these footpaths. We pay our taxes levied on us by the GMC, but still there is no progress in their work."

According to the GMC Act 1973, there are other elements included in property tax, which include water tax, light tax, and general tax, for which the municipality must look after its maintenance.

According to one resident of Kahilipara, "there are several street lights in the city that are maintained by various government bodies. But still, there will be lanes where street lights do not work. It becomes very difficult when the sun goes down, and commuting from those lanes becomes problematic." Another pointed out that the maintenance of a proper drainage system and the collection of garbage isn't regular.

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