The Indian Express 20.01.2014

Civic staff will be held accountable for unassessed properties

After the success of its drive to recover dues from defaulters of property tax, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to make the ground level civic staff accountable for failing to identify properties that have not been assessed for tax.

The property tax department of PMC first launched a drive to recover pending dues by playing music band outside the property of defaulters and managed to collect Rs 74 crore. Now, it has set its eye on identifying unassessed properties and bring them in the tax ambit. In its 40-day survey, the civic administration identified 26,000 properties that were found out of the ambit of property tax. “The drive to recover dues from defaulters would continue, but focus would also be on bringing unassessed properties in the tax net. The civic staff at the ground level responsible for assessing property tax would be made accountable if any unassessed properties are found in their jurisdiction,” said Municipal Commissioner Mahesh Pathak.

The PMC has not proposed any hike in the property tax but estimated an increase in revenue collection by bringing unassessed properties in tax net, he said adding, “The property tax department would take in writing from the civic staff that there are no more unassessed properties in their area.” This means that the staff might face action if any unassessed properties are found in their area, he said. The PMC administration has set a revenue target of Rs 750 crore, including water tax, from property tax in 2014-15 as against Rs 742 crore for 2013-14. It has collected Rs 670 crore in the first nine months of the current fiscal and is set to cross its set target by March-end. There are 7.5 lakh properties in the city and the civic administration expects more would be added to the list if the civic staff at the ground level are made more accountable.

The Indian Express 20.01.2014

In a first, PMC wants ‘women-friendly’ tag for city

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Special safety policy, women-friendly building certification, regular health check-up camps at offices, industries and business parks and exclusive buses are some of the major initiatives that women in the city can hope to enjoy in the near future. The PMC has been planning these measures as a part of its framework for making the city woman-friendly. A road map to this effect is being charted out by the civic body with the help of All India Institute of Local Self Government (AIILSG), Mumbai. While the initiative is considered as first of its kind in the country, the civic body has termed it as the next concrete step towards the implementation of gender-based budgeting. “We have started implementing the gender-based budgeting, but the concept remains notional so far. We want to turn this concept into a reality by coming out with a framework for making the city woman-friendly.

The detailed guidelines prepared by AIILSG are basically a set of suggestions aimed at carrying out interventions of various departments of the civic body as well as government bodies concerned,” Hanumant Nazirkar, in-charge of Urban Community Development (UCD) department of PMC, said. AIILSG director Sneha Palnitkar said PMC annual budgets for the past few years were studied to ensure how the concept of gender-based budgeting could be fine tuned. “We have come out with suggestions, which can be implemented through interventions among different PMC departments, government departments and other key bodies to make life more convenient for local women.

Specific budgetary provisions for each PMC department can be worked out accordingly to give more realistic scope for implementation of gender-based budget,” she said. While the AIILSG has come out with English draft of the said framework, its modified Marathi version will be submitted before the civic body shortly. “We have been implementing certain measures recommended by AIILSG through different schemes of UCD and other departments. More concerted efforts would be taken in the future in keeping with these proposed measures with requisite budgetary allocations as per the principle of gender-budgeting,” said Nazirkar. Rajya Sabha member and leader of Nationalist Congress Party,Vandana Chavan — who has pioneered the concept of a woman-friendly city — said guidelines being prepared by AIILSG would offer a road map for the PMC to execute gender-budgeting. “The concept, so far, has been confined to a very few activities towards women development and empowerment.

The proposed framework would identify the needs and issues of women from different strata of society, and would address them with the help of different civic and government departments by having definite money allocation,” she said. Meanwhile, the framework for a women-friendly city has also addressed issues of vulnerable groups like senior citizens, unorganised women labour and commercial sex workers.

On the wish list

Women-friendly building certification

The parking area should be under closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance and monitored 24X7

The doors of the elevatorsshould have a transparent part for improved visibility

Emergency phone service provisions in buildings, shopping centres and commercial complexes

Other necessary facilities like rest rooms, space for social gathering, special space for children and senior citizens should be provided in buildings

A separate parking area for women in commercial complexes, institutions, market areas and educational institutions

Sanitation

Clean and accessible toilets for women in industrial areas, business parks and shopping complexes

Public washrooms for women at fixed distances at crowded locations, PMPML bus stops, shopping centres and market areas

Signboards at every 2-3 km indicating location of public toilets

Accommodation

Women hostels and budget hotels within and outskirts of the city for working women

More girls-only hostels with reading and study hall facilities

Linkage of colleges and housing co-operative societies for giving rental accommodation for girl students where the hostel facilities are not adequate and where housing societies take objection to accommodating students

Health

Regular health check-up camps at offices, industries and business parks

Increasing awareness on maternal and child care

Awareness programmes to make citizens sensitive about female foeticide and PCPNDT Act

Strengthening the public healthcare institutions to ensure they are women-friendly

Education

Increasing awareness about distance education among women dropouts

Appointing guidance counsellor for career and personal guidance

Book bank/earn-and-learn schemes for needy girl students

Transportation

Women’s special bus, especially during peak hours (8-11 am) and afternoon (2-5 pm)

Well-lit roads with proper signage, maps, display of names and directions to be provided in all areas

Review of secluded areas that are frequently used by women

Subways and stops for public transport to be provided with proper lighting and CCTV surveillance, especially during non-peak hours

Local police stations must have complete records of transport operators employed for BPO industry

Safety

Counselling for women to encourage them to complain about abuse

Regular police patrolling during late evening and early morning where chain-snatchings take place

Local safety assessment to find out the profile of criminals

Urban News