Kolkata, 03 August (H.S.): The West Bengal Panchayat Department has issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) aimed at strengthening the financial position of gram panchayats by streamlining tax collection and enhancing their own revenue generation.

The SOP lays down detailed guidelines on the collection of local taxes, timelines for recovering dues from taxpayers, and the course of action to be taken in cases of default. It also directs panchayats to explore alternative sources of income to improve their financial sustainability.

According to administrative sources, the new guidelines were prepared after the state government reviewed the functioning of the Panchayat Department following the change in government in May. The review reportedly identified several administrative shortcomings, including allegations that many gram panchayat pradhans were not attending their offices regularly, affecting public service delivery as well as revenue collection.

Under the SOP, panchayats have been instructed to complete the tax collection process within three weeks of notifying taxpayers about the scheduled payment dates. They have also been asked to make offline payment facilities available wherever necessary to ensure convenience for taxpayers.

The guidelines further require panchayats to prepare a list of tax defaulters. If outstanding dues remain unpaid even 15 days after publication of the list, the concerned panchayat will be required to convene a meeting to decide on further measures for recovery. The department has thus introduced a structured, time-bound monitoring mechanism for the collection of pending taxes.

The SOP also encourages panchayats to diversify their revenue sources by promoting tourism and homestay projects. In addition, they have been advised to explore leasing government-owned assets such as hotels, community halls, ferry ghats, laboratories and other public properties to generate additional income.

The department has also stressed the importance of making villagers aware of how locally generated revenue is being utilised for rural development. Officials believe that demonstrating a direct link between tax payments and development works could encourage greater public participation in revenue collection.

Earlier, the state government had amended the system of financial administration at the gram panchayat level by transferring financial transaction powers from elected pradhans to designated government officials. With the issuance of the new SOP, the government has now introduced a more structured framework for revenue collection as part of its efforts to improve financial management and strengthen the functioning of panchayats across the state.

Officials believe the measures are likely to improve tax collection and enhance the financial capacity of rural local bodies in the coming months.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh