New online portal has increased the financial burden on citizens and turned the Municipal Corporation into a revenue collection arm of the government, alleges BJP councillor
Shimla: BJP Mahila Morcha State Secretary and Municipal Councillor Kamlesh Mehta has accused the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government of weakening the financial autonomy of the Shimla Municipal Corporation through its newly introduced online payment portal. She alleged that the new system has raised serious concerns over transparency, accountability, and the management of municipal revenues.
Addressing the issue, Mehta said that the Municipal Corporation earlier operated its own dedicated system for collecting taxes, user charges, and other civic payments. However, since the introduction of the new portal, there is little clarity regarding how the collected funds are being processed, where they are being deposited, and under which accounts or funds they are ultimately being managed.
She urged both the Municipal Corporation and the state government to publicly disclose the financial architecture of the new system and explain how citizens' payments are being accounted for.
According to Mehta, instead of strengthening urban local bodies, the state government appears to be using the Municipal Corporation as a mechanism to meet its own financial requirements. She questioned the legal and financial framework governing the new portal, particularly if garbage collection charges, municipal taxes, and other civic payments are now being routed through the centralized platform.
"The government must explain the legal basis, financial safeguards, and fund management process associated with this portal. Citizens have a right to know where their money is going," she said.
Mehta further argued that the 74th Constitutional Amendment was enacted to provide greater financial and administrative autonomy to urban local bodies, enabling them to function independently. Any move that places municipal revenues under greater state control, she said, runs contrary to the spirit of decentralized governance envisaged by the Constitution.
She also alleged that the Congress government has already curtailed several traditional sources of revenue available to the Municipal Corporation, and that the new payment mechanism is adding to the financial burden on residents rather than improving civic governance.
Demanding complete transparency, Mehta called upon the state government and the Municipal Corporation to make public all details relating to the new portal, including its operational framework, revenue management system, and the utilization of funds collected from citizens.
She asserted that the BJP would continue to raise the issue and oppose any measures that compromise the financial independence of urban local bodies or undermine the rights of citizens.
Editor's Note: This report is based on a statement issued by BJP leader Kamlesh Mehta. The allegations and claims are those of the speaker. The response of the state government or the Shimla Municipal Corporation was not available at the time of publication and will be carried when received.