Tangail municipality withdraws fresh taxes in face of protest

It happened when the municipal office was besieged by people who demonstrated under the newly formed 'Pourabashi Swartha Sanrakkhan Sangram Committee' (a citizens' committee to protect interests of citizens).

The citizens' committee yesterday organised a mass procession and besieged the Tangail municipal office as per its earlier programme to protest the enhanced municipal taxes.

In the morning, several hundred people came in processions from different areas of the town and joined a protest rally on Shaheed Minar premises in the town.

With former municipal commissioner MA Majid in the chair, the rally was addressed by, among others, Sangram Committee leaders Murad Siddiqui, Shamsul Haque Jamal, Jatiya Party (Ershad) leaders Mozammel Haque and Asaduzzaman Babul, BNP leaders Sadequl Alam Khoka and Ataur Rahman Jinnah, former commissioner Mahmudul Haque Alo, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) leader Tariqul Islam Jhalak, Chhatra League leader Masudur Rahman, Akram Hossen Kislu, advocate AL Ruhi, Shafiul Alam Tushar, Prashanta Pal Chowdhury and Khondaker Abdur Rob.

Speakers at the rally said the townspeople will not pay the enhanced taxes and build up tougher agitation if those are not withdrawn.

At one stage, Sangram Committee leader Murad Siddiqui gave 10 minutes time to municipality authorities for withdrawing the proposed enhanced taxes.

In absence of municipal chairman Jamilur Rahman Miron, five ward commissioners came to the Shaheed Minar. Among them, Ward Commissioner Nurul Alam spoke on behalf of the municipal chairman.

He declared withdrawal of the enhanced taxes and said those will not be imposed.

Prior to the rally, angry town dwellers burnt the effigy of municipal chairman Jamilur Rahman Miron at Niralar More and chanted slogans against him.

The Sangram Committee held rallies in different areas of the town in last few days and mooted its besiege programme.

Municipal Chairman Jamilur Rahman Miron at a press conference at Tangail Press Club on Tuesday claimed that taxes were not increased for all. Additional taxes were imposed only on citizens who expanded their houses recently and in areas where development programmes like drain construction and conservancy have been started, he said.

The besiege programme is a conspiracy by some vested quarters, intended only to foil development programmes, he had said.