The Hindu 14.01.2011
e-Auction ensures more money for Coimbatore Corporation
The Coimbatore Corporation, while launching its e-auction drive,
‘inadvertently’ networked the auction outcome to its coffers. The
primary intention was to eliminate cartels hijacking auctions.
But, the spinoff came in the form of increased revenue.
With the auction of every shop, the inflow into the coffers has
increased and the Corporation managers are laughing all the way to the
bank. “Our revenue increase is around 40 per cent,” says Anshul Mishra,
Corporation Commissioner.
The aim of computerising the auction process was to
break cartelisation, ensure transparency and make it easy for people to
participate, he says and adds that the civic body did not, however, give
up the traditional auction system. “The continuance of the traditional
system was to ensure that technologically challenged people were not
left out.”
M. Sundararajan, Assistant Commissioner, Revenue,
Coimbatore Corporation, says the revenue from e-auctioning parking lots,
markets, toilet complexes, abattoirs etc. rose by Rs. 1.38 crore. In
the last financial year, the civic body earned Rs. 3.33 crore and this
year it has increased to Rs. 4.71 crore.
The Corporation has 65 annual lease items and around
2,500 monthly rental items. The latter are shops at commercial
complexes, from where it gets revenue on a monthly basis. The annual
lease items are those that the Corporation auctions once a year. The
revenue from the e-auctioning of shops at the newly-constructed fish and
flower markets has also surprised the Corporation managers.
Mr. Mishra says the income from auctioning a few shops,
auction hall, parking lot and toilet complex at the new flower market
has been very good. The Corporation has so far earned about Rs. 30 lakh
and is sure of raking in more once the remaining 18 shops are auctioned.
The story repeats at itself the fish market too.
Mr. Sundararajan says the participation has also been
good. “One-hundred and nine people took part in the flower market
auction and 85 for the fish market shops.”