The Hindu 14.02.2014
No property tax hike in Mangalore, for now
Administrator of the Mangalore City Corporation A.B.
Ibrahim said on Thursday that he will leave it to the yet-to be-formed
council of the civic body to decide whether the property tax should be
hiked and Greater Mangalore to be formed.
To a
question at a press conference, Mr. Ibrahim, Deputy Commissioner of
Dakshina Kannada, said that since the two issues needed thorough
discussion, the elected representatives of the council would take a
decision on them.
Eleven months after the councillors
were elected, the city corporation does not have a council as the
Mayoral elections have been stayed. The Deputy Commissioner said that a
final decision on whether solid waste management cess should be
collected while collecting property tax for 2014-15 from this April
would be decided at a meeting on February 22.
Minister
in-charge of Dakshina Kannada B. Ramanath Rai at a meeting to review
the functioning of the corporation here on Monday had placed the
responsibility on the administrator and the elected council to take a
decision on the three issues.
The Congress in its
election manifesto for the corporation election last year had assured
people that it would not hike property tax if elected to power.
Single-site approval
Mr.
Ibrahim said people applying for single site approval could directly
submit the applications to the city corporation from Friday. They need
not apply to the Mangalore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) like
earlier.
It applied to single sites that have an
extent up to 10 cents (405 sq. m). If all records were correct, approval
would be given within 12 days. An applicant could build only one
dwelling unit on such site.
Earlier applicants were
expected to file the application to MUDA through the city corporation.
The file movement from the corporation to the MUDA and back was taking
time.
Now the city corporation would scrutinise and
approve the applications. The government has issued a notification to
this effect on January 29.
People
from civic society who want to give suggestions on projects and
policies to be adopted in the 2014-15 Budget of the city corporation can
do so at Mangala Auditorium of the civic body at Lalbagh on Friday at 4
p.m.
Representatives
Elected
representatives can give suggestions on February 17 from 11.30 a.m. to
1.30 p.m., according to A. B. Ibrahim, the administrator of the civic
body.
Addressing presspersons here on Thursday, he
said that the suggestions of people would be examined while preparing
the budget document. He said that he would be available for people at
the corporation on Tuesdays from 9.30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and on Thursdays
from 3 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. till the elected council comes into existence.
Mr. Ibrahim will be present in the Mayor’s chamber.
