FAISALABAD, May 3: The Tehsil Municipal Administration (City) has been accused of receiving illegal gratification from a contractor of billboards. At a news conference here on Tuesday, Mohammad Younas said he had been engaged in the business of hoardings for the last so many years and was paying millions of rupees as taxes to the government agencies.

He claimed that the TMA bosses had received Rs2.2 million from him as taxes and fee for the hoardings installed in different parts of the city. But, receipts of only Rs1.1 million had been issued to him and the remaining amount misappropriated, he alleged.

He alleged that Tax Superintendent Rana Ghulam Rasool and his subordinate staff at the behest of the city tehsil nazim forced him to pay Rs1 million as bribe otherwise all hoardings of his clients would be uprooted. On his refusal, the TMA staff removed some 25 hoardings of his clients despite the fact that it had received the required fee and tax for the same, he alleged.

He claimed that Rana Ghulam Rasool was suspended from service on the orders of the National Accountability Bureau. But the TMA bosses in violation of the orders appointed him again as TMA coordinator and gave him the charge of tax superintendent.

He threatened that some 200 members of 50 families engaged in his publicity business would set up a hunger strike camp at the Clock Tower Intersection against the indifferent attitude of the TMA bosses.

He urged the governor and the chief minister to take action against the TMA officers for receiving bribe from the people and the contractors.

TO (taxation) Nasir Cheema refuted corruption charges and contended that the advertising rates had been revised. He said the advertiser was asked to pay the difference between the present and the previous rates, but he refused. And now he was levelling allegations against the TMA.