DEDICATED FORCE REDUCED LIKE A FARCE.

                                                                                                                                                              Ref:     CESA/85/2014

                                                                                                                                                              Date:   26.11.2014

Ms. MALA SRIVASTAVA,

Hon’ble Member, Customs, CBEC,

Incharge of Mumbai Zone,

New Delhi.

Respected Madam,

            Sub: - Creation of Infrastructure Cell in Mumbai to implement CR smoothly and office of own for CC Service Tax’s office, Service Tax

                        commissionerate I to VII, Service Tax Audit Commissionerate - Reg.

            Kindly find enclosed herewith our letter Ref. No. CESA/82/2014 dated 20.11.2014 addressed to the Chief Commissioner Central Excise Mumbai Zone –I & II on the above subject matter.  CR was projected and got approved and rolled out with an intention to yield more revenue as well as to improve the career progression of the staff.  Mumbai Service Tax zone, which fetches 30% of the total revenue, has strategically failed in all front, to provide even basic facilities to the staff who are supposed to strive their best for more revenue to the exchequer. 

2.         In paper, two Commissionerates of Service tax has been split to seven Commissionerates and three Audit Commissionerates and two more Audit Commissionerates for central Excise and one Audit Commissionerate for LTU Mumbai.  Orders have been issued, lower staff has been posted and relieved and additional charges of the Commissionerates is given to the current Commissionerates to run the affairs.  The intention of the Board is not to humiliate the staff rather to motivate the staff so that their services can be properly utilized to the optimum. 

 3.        Service Tax needs around 4 lakhs sq. ft for its office premises.  Around 1 lakh sq. ft is in the pipeline. And there is no proposal for the remaining 3 lakh sq. ft.  Space cannot be shaped, cannot be created can only be acquired through rent or on lease basis.  Can your goodself, being an incharge of the zone, allow to run the sorry state of affairs, like this. 

 4.        The third quarter of the financial year is going on and the last quarter is fast approaching, but the officers of the Service Tax do not have an office of their own, computers, and other infrastructure, forget about offering hospitality to the trade as well as housing facility for the staff.  The position of the officers, is worse than a chicken in a poultry farm, even they have some space in the baskets.  But the officers having put in 20 to 30 years of service are at the mercy of others.  On the other hand austerity on any count is not visible as far as the seniors are concerned, which aggravates the agony and frustrations, further. 

5.         Madam, being incharge of Mumbai Zone we request that our suggestion of creating an infrastructure cell at Mumbai directly reporting to DGHRD and to expedite the matters of hiring of building for newly created offices and providing the basic infrastructure in that for smooth functioning is extremely necessary.  Targets are fixed to achieve revenue from Mumbai but not for improving the working conditions, needs immediate attention.

6.         CESA, Mumbai requests your goodself to bestow some time for this very basic and genuine problem which directly leaves an impact and tarnish the image of the Department and also effect the tax collection, substantially.

            Thanking you,

                             Yours sincerely,

                                 A.K. Sasmal

                                                                                                                        General Secretary