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General Administration

Kochi Corporation Mulls an Early Budget

Saturday, 07 December 2013 06:35 administrator
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The New Indian Express               07.12.2013

Kochi Corporation Mulls an Early Budget

The Kochi Corporation plans to advance its 2014 budget session to  the end of next January or early February owing to the Lok Sabha elections  due next year. The preparations in this regard has already begun at the Corporation,   confirming an early budget session. “We have started work for the next   budget. I have started assembling files eying an early budget,” said Kochi   Corporation Deputy Mayor and Standing Committee for Finance chairperson B Bhadra.

However, the Corporation authorities remained tight-lipped on what to expect from the budget.

This will be the first budget of the corporation after the commencement of Kochi Metro Rail work and a number of prospective development projects are facing a cringing fund shortage and delay in implementation, including widening of the South Railway Over Bridge (ROB) and Thammanam-Pullepady Road, construction of Atlantis ROB, Goshree-Mamangalam road, Pachalam ROB, reconstruction of PVS culvert and widening of the stretch between North station and South station.

If the civic body identifies any major source for income generation, as it  is admittedly reeking in revenue deficit, that would be another major  watch-out in the next budget of the civic body. Other significant issues   like projects to tackle waste menace and provide security for women will  also have to be looked out.

“The term of the 16th Lok Sabha will end on 31st May, 2014. The Election Commission has already set the balls rolling for election to be conducted in April - May of next year. With this, the state government may conduct an early budget session. The Corporation would follow the suit,” said Mayor Tony Chammany.

“We are expecting to conduct budget session just after the state budget, which is expected to be conducted very early next year,” the Mayor added.  “At present, the Corporation has serious limits, mainly, financial shortage,” said Mayor.

 

Mayor Takes Dig at Big Firms on Taxes

Saturday, 07 December 2013 06:11 administrator
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The New Indian Express               07.12.2013

Mayor Takes Dig at Big Firms on Taxes

Police chief Raghavendra Auradkar, Mayor B S Satyanarayana, B.PAC managing trustee Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and former BBMP commissioner K Jairaj at the inauguration of B.CLIP on Friday | Nagaraja Gadekal
Police chief Raghavendra Auradkar, Mayor B S Satyanarayana, B.PAC managing trustee Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and former BBMP commissioner K Jairaj at the inauguration of B.CLIP on Friday | Nagaraja Gadekal

A day after the High Court pulled up the BBMP for using ‘naming and shaming’ tactics in its property tax collection drive, Mayor B S Sathyanarayana on Friday took an indirect dig at big companies for not paying taxes.

He was speaking at a session titled ‘Challenges of Governing Bangalore City’ during the Civic Leadership Incubator Programme (B.CLIP) organised by the Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC). He alleged that it was the educated classes who were not paying taxes and also shifted the blame to the Palike when officials went to collect dues.

“Industries that make profits of `5 crore and above have to pay two per cent of it to the local municipal corporation. But many IT-BT companies here pay all their taxes to the State government. If they pay us, we will get at least `250 crore, which can be used for development works,” he said.

Referring to other civic issues, the Mayor noted the need for elected representatives  to be in touch with the public. “We sat in the opposition in the BBMP Council for many years. It is easy to give suggestions, but we face actual problems when we are governing,” he said. Sathyanarayana said there were more than 16 lakh properties in Bangalore of which only 9.8 lakh came under the tax net. He said the Palike was unable to identify defaulters as the revenue officers were burdened with many other non-tax related tasks.

B.PAC Training

B.PAC on Friday commenced its civic leadership training programme for the first batch of 66 candidates. The candidates are from 20 Assembly constituencies and diverse political affiliations. 

The B.CLIP course will include a mix of classroom training for three months and field work alongside city officials for five months. The candidates will assist in the creation of a ward manifesto as well as an action plan.

 

Civic body to enumerate traders in twin cities

Saturday, 07 December 2013 04:59 administrator
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The Hindu               07.12.2013

Civic body to enumerate traders in twin cities

T. Lalith Singh

With a view to generate a precise picture of trading activity and to determine the actual number of traders operating in the city, the GHMC will conduct an exhaustive survey.

Interestingly, the civic body will empanel agencies to hold a comprehensive trade licence survey, which will begin once the agencies are zeroed in on. The initiative is expected to go a long way in streamlining the trade licence section.

“There could be several traders operating without licence and many others with license, but have folded up the business. This survey will fill in these gaps and enable us to understand the activity better,” an official said. The enumeration will cover circles four, five, seven, eight, nine, 10 and 18. “Last year, we carried out a survey of the peripheral areas employing our staff, but there are some issues in the erstwhile MCH areas, which will be addressed during the present exercise. The focus is on the Central Zone and parts of the South Zone,” L. Vandan Kumar, Additional Commissioner (Health & Sanitation), said. The decision follows the Lokayukta’s directive to the municipal body to complete the survey by Dec. 30.

The civic body will outsource the work and will empanel agencies to hold a comprehensive trade licence survey.

 
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