LESS INSPIRING ... MORE DESPAIRING

Ref: CESA/62/2015

Date: 19-Oct-2015.

Shri. Najib Shah,

Hon’ble Chairman,

CBEC, North Block,

New Delhi.

Respected Sir,

Sub :-  Request for providing additional funds for infrastructure & office equipment.

CBEC has declared the year 2015 as the “Year of the Tax-Payer Services”. Cadre-restructuring has taken place in Oct-2014 and several new Commissionerates came into existence. Recently, after completion of the exercise of holding the Chief Commissioner’s Conference, it was hoped that there would be substantial change in the ground reality with respect to the basic office infrastructure, communication facilities, etc., but alas…

Mumbai, being the commercial capital of the country, contributes approx. 33% of the All India ST collections in the country. However, funds allotted for office space, office equipment, basic infrastructure, etc., are not adequate and more allocations needs to be done.  The staff posted in the field formations are badly equipped and severely neglected in all respects.

Recently Mumbai ST-Chief Commissioner’s Office, ST-I & ST-II were shifted from the Central Excise building at Churchgate to the Air India building at Nariman Point.  So far, no Trade Notice has been issued intimating the change to the Trade and the general public about the shift of office. The administration may have saved a lot of money by compelling the officers to shift on their own by making use of their own resources. Somehow, the shifting has taken place, but the staff located there are resentful of the unfair treatment on account of space and other basic facilities.

Further, the situation prevailing at the ground level in the Service Tax Commissionerates is so de-moralising & stressful, which we want to bring to your kind notice : how the staff are being put through embarrassing situations in front of the ST assessees and are also under tremendous pressure from their Senior Officers to complete the time-bound work including pending work of the VCES/TDS defaulters, without even a desktop computer & internet connection, not to mention the acute shortage of Inspectors and other supporting staff.

The situation in the Audit Commissionerates of Central Excise and Service Tax is equally alarming. We feel ashamed to report that the lower Officers do not even have chairs to sit and discharge their day-to-day duties and functions. The Officers posted in Service Tax Commissionerate as well as in Audit Commissionerates (both ST & CX) do not have computers and printers and have to wait in queue for using the same. The Senior Officers who are made aware of the situation are unable to do anything as they do not have the necessary funds for the purchase of office equipment, computers and printers for their staff.

It is also seen that in many Commissionerates, where there is a shortage of funds, many Commissioners have spent extravagantly on purchase of “Apple” brand of computers for themselves just to decorate their table and give an impression of plenty !! CESA, Mumbai salutes many Chief Commissioners, like Shri N. Suresh, Arun Tandon, V. S. Krishnan, Mrs. Arusha Vasudev and Commissioners like Sushil Solanki, M. R. R. Reddy, etc. who have not spent a single penny on re-furnishing their cabins or purchasing fancy gadgets and had more concern for their staff’s requirements.

Even after completion of one year from cadre restructuring-2014, we are still searching for space, still unable to set up a proper office, still unable to give proper facilities & amenities to the staff and now more importantly providing residential quarters to the newly appointed staff, who have been posted from outside Mumbai !!   Therefore, it is humbly requested that the pending proposals forwarded by the then CC Shri V. S. Krishnan, i.e. one more floor in Air India building, one floor in World Trade Centre, three more floors in Lotus Building and construction of residential quarters at Bhandup and Antop Hill may be expedited.

CESA Mumbai, also requests your goodself to provide additional funds to the Mumbai Zones for procuring the necessary office equipment (like tables & chairs, copier machines, telephone & high-speed internet), computers and printers and ensure that all Officers (especially Superintendents & Inspectors) are provided with Computers, printers & ACES terminals having high-speed connectivity to the main ACES server.

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely,

A.K.SASMAL

General Secretary

 

CC : 1)  Shri V. S. Krishnan, Hon’ble Member (ST) & Zonal Member,

              CBEC, New Delhi. For kind information & necessary action.

         2)  Shri. S. C. Varshney, Hon’ble Chief Commissioner,C. Excise,      

               Zone-I & II - For kind information & necessary action.

        3)   Shri. P. K. Patnaik, Hon’ble Chief Commissioner, Mumbai  

              Service Tax Zone - For kind information & necessary action.