Bhubaneswar, Feb 7: As an innovative step in order to collect holding tax from the big defaulters transgender community members have been roped in with flagging off of a special squad to collect the money from Saheed Nagar area by Commissioner Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation Prem Chandra Chaudhary.

The group named TG Swikruti self help group (SHG) today formally started its work and after identity cards distribution the members with proper uniform started their venture in order to help the largest urbal local body of Odisha to help enhance its tax base.

Speaking to media persons on this occasion BMC Commissioner Chaudhary said “this will achieve a two-prong strategy, one by employing the Third Gender in the social mainstream and to give them an opportunity to serve the society through BMC and the other is to collect holding tax from the big defaulters.’’

On this occasion the ID cards to the members of TG Swikruti SHG were also distributed by BMC Additional Commissioners Suratha Chandra Mallick, Abanikanta Patnaik and Deputy Commissioner Srimanta Mishra. On this occasion the members of the TG Swikruti SHG said that their slogan would be “Tax dijiye dua lijiye’’ (Give holding tax and receive our blessings).

President of TG Swikruti self help group Meghna Sahu said “when in many organizations and places the transgender community members are either sidelined or not given their due respect in case of employment and other social positions, this initiative by BMC will definitely help us financially. We will try our best to help the civic body to achieve its goal and also to prove our worth as the authorities have bestowed faith in us.’’

It can be mentioned here that while the special squad of the TG Swikruti SHG will be working to collect nearly Rs 11 crore from big defaulters, on the Day 1 they collected Rs 66,264 from people. As per the agreement the group will earn one percent money from the amount they collected from the defaulters.