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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Rajya Sabha Petitions Committee to arrive in Dec, hear old business community demand for equal status

GANGTOK, 28 Nov: A delegation of the Rajya Sabha Petitions Committee is expected to visit the state in the month of December. This is in connection with the demands placed certain members of the old business community led by veteran Prem Goyal who have been demanding equal status with the local populace in terms of various facilities provided by the government.
This particular committee, led by BJP Parliamentarian, Mr. Koshiayari, was due to visit the state on 21 September, 2011 but the visit had to be postponed due to the earthquake. The Petitions Committee is scheduled to hold a sort of public hearing here in Sikkim among the members of the old business community to hear their grievances and ascertain for itself the state of affairs as regards facilities and benefits accruing to them from the State government and discrimination, if any, on this ground. Thereafter the committee will submit its final report to the Union Government.
The main demand of Mr. Goyal and his association, Nagarik Suraksha Sangh, is equal status with the locals or Sikkim Subject holders for those members of the old business community who were already settled in Sikkim by May 1975. This is projected as a kind of cut-off date for members of this community. According to Mr. Goyal, there are around 400-odd families who would qualify for such equal status. From this primary grievance follow other grievances of members of this particular community.
Among the other grievances is the demand for income tax exemption similar to that enjoyed by Sikkim Subject holders and their descendents. Then come other grievances and demands related to trade licenses, education and health benefits as accorded to locals by the state government.
Mr. Goyal informs that his petition with the Rajya Sabha Petitions Committee is now in the final stages and after numerous meetings and having submitted numerous documents the last phase is that of ‘public hearing’ which the committee will conduct in Sikkim. For this purpose the visit initially scheduled for September will now be conducted in December, probably after the Winter Session of Parliament. His petition was filed with the Committee a few years ago.
Incidentally, as far as the demand for income tax exemption is concerned, the state government had recently formed a committee to examine the issue and take it up with the centre. This is the second such committee.

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