Urban News

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
E-Governance

AMC likely to introduce online LBT payment system

Saturday, 24 August 2013 10:37 administrator
Print PDF

The Times of India          24.08.2013

AMC likely to introduce online LBT payment system

AURANGABAD: The Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is planning to introduce online local body tax (LBT) payment system in the city. Deputy municipal commissioner Suresh Petgaonkar said on Friday that the civic body was working on the proposal to speed up the process of tax collection and mop up more revenue.

"Talks are on with 2-3 software development companies. We are planning to evolve a system wherein we can communicate with the LBT payers. We are also working on providing them an online payment window," he said, adding that it will take at least a month to finalize the plan.

The civic body has a huge pool of 21,000 registered traders. However, it has only a hand full of staff to cater to their needs.

According to sources, the shortage of manpower was restricting the civic body's tax collection figure to a certain level. At present, there are 25 staff members in the LBT department which is collecting tax manually.

Under the present system, the traders manually fill the assessment and challan form and pay the tax in banks. But Petgaonkar said the proposed system would provide on-line facility to the traders.

"This will bring in efficiency and transparency in the tax collection system," he said.

Besides, Petgaonkar said that the civic body was collecting email IDs of all the traders so that it could send them online notices.

"This facility will reduce the pressure on our employees, who are visiting the traders to serve the notices at present. We are also trying to incorporate an online tax assessment method which would enable the traders to calculate their tax component. Besides, the system will also give a rough idea of the traders evading the tax," he said.

Petgaonkar said the civic body could spend about Rs 10 lakh to develop the system. This will increase the civic body's revenue, he said.

The AMC recently posted an LBT collection of Rs 45.99 crore in the first quarter of the current fiscal against a target of Rs 200 crore. Petgaonkar said that in 2011-13, the LBT collection was recorded at Rs 162 crore which surged in 2012-13 to Rs 180 crore.

"In the current year, the administration had set a target of Rs 200 crore for LBT collection, but the general body increased it to Rs 250 crore," he said.

 

Transparency the mantra: Municipal commissioner

Wednesday, 21 August 2013 11:31 administrator
Print PDF

The Times of India          21.08.2013

Transparency the mantra: Municipal commissioner

KANPUR: Newly appointed municipal commissioner DK Singh has said that transparency would be the mantra in the municipal corporation and nothing would be concealed.

Soon after assuming the charge, Singh held a meeting with officials. He said that information regarding works undertaken by the corporation would be posted on the website so that people could know the details. Birth and death certificate would be made online so that people do not have to make rounds of the corporation. In the next phase, house tax collection would be made online, he added. About substandard construction of roads, he said that under the new arrangement pictures of road would be put on record before and after construction. More over names and mobile numbers of engineers, length and cost of the road along with time limit would be provided to residents of the area.

About use of substandard material, Singh asked officials to keep a tab on the material used in developmental work. He further said that the municipal corporation would set up its own lab to check and examine the construction material being used.

 

PMC to use cameras to check traffic violators

Tuesday, 20 August 2013 09:14 administrator
Print PDF

The Indian Express                20.08.2013

PMC to use cameras to check traffic violators

The standing committee of the Pune Municipal Corporation has finally given the nod to appoint a private agency to run the Intelligent Traffic System (ITS), which would be used to penalise those jumping signals or violating speed limit. The ruling NCP with backing from the Congress approved the civic administration proposal. The BJP, Shiv Sena and the MNS has opposed it.

"The proposal was approved with majority vote as it is going to help discipline traffic in the city," said Vishal Tambe, chairperson of the standing committee. Under ITS project, the PMC had installed 120 cameras across the city at a cost of Rs 15.46 crore. The civic body has put up cameras that can record signal violation at 20 junctions. Ten cameras have been set up to check speed violation and the control room is at Swargate.

The work got over in 2008 and the contract for its maintenance for five years with the same firm is coming to an end.

However, there was no system in place to use the system and inculcate discipline among the vehicle users in the city, officials said.

As per the decision, a fine of Rs 200 for two-wheelers and Rs 500 for four-wheelers would be charged for violating speed limit or jumping red signal. The cameras installed have the capacity to record the vehicle movements and help note down the vehicle numbers.

The agency staff at the control room would dispatch notice to the vehicle owner for violation of the traffic rules and recover penalty. "Of the revenue collected, 30 per cent will go to the PMC while the 70 per cent would be with the agency. This ratio would increase in favour of PMC if large number of vehicles are caught violating traffic rules," Tambe said.

The civic body been had so far failed to start using the system as there was no pact on revenue sharing with the police.

Later it was decided that it would be implemented by appointing a private agency. But there was resistance from political parties, including the NCP.  

 
More Articles...


Page 37 of 112