Cooch Behar, 17th May: The Cooch Behar District Traders Association has initiated a 24-hour business shutdown in city starting from Friday morning, in protest against multiple municipal taxes. The primary demands include the withdrawal of the recently imposed water tax, reduction of the excessive conservancy fee, and a decrease in the trade license fee.
Reportedly, all shops in the area including Bhawaniganj and New Bazaar have remained closed since the morning. The traders expressed their condemnation over the municipality’s decision to double the conservancy fee, trade license fee, water tax, and legal charges of land.
The traders highlighted that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had previously ordered a suspension of these taxes before the elections. Despite this directive, the municipal chairman did not implement the suspension. Following this, the traders submitted a memorandum on May 2, seeking redressal of their grievances. However, with no resolution to the issue, the traders decided to escalate their protest by calling for the shutdown.