Indian Express 01.12.2010
Civic body downplays govt allegations on unauthorised colonies
Express News Service Tags : Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Finance Minister AK Walia Posted: Wed Dec 01 2010, 05:29 hrs
New Delhi: Responding to Finance Minister AK Walia’s criticism of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) asking unauthorised colonies to pay property tax, the civic body has said it was the Delhi government that initiated the move in the first place.Standing Committee chairman Yogender Chandolia, on Tuesday, demanded that the Delhi government immediately issue the Notification for Property Tax Exemption in villages, urban villages and unauthorised colonies if it wanted them to be exempted.
He said that that the MCD had sent five resolutions in this regard to the Delhi government from 2007 to 2010, but to no avail. The move by Walia was “politically motivated”, Chandolia added.
To Walia’s criticism that the MCD was not regularising unauthorised colonies, Chandolia said, “The MCD has to finalise the layout plans. But, before that, the Delhi government has to finalise the boundaries, which has not been done.”
Referring to records, Chandolia said that though the Delhi government had promised to grant Rs 50 crore to develop unauthorised colonies for the year 2010-11, only Rs 37.50 crore has been received so far. Stating that only Rs 569 crore had been given to the MCD for undertaking sanitation work at 1,539 unauthorised colonies since 1998, he said Walia had wrongly claimed that Rs 3,326 crore was allotted for development.
Chandolia also denied the government’s allegation that the MCD had recovered property tax to the tune of Rs 8 crore from rural villages last year. He said that in 2008-09, only Rs 51,22,000 was recovered while the amount for the first half of 2009-10 was Rs 34,62,000.
Referring to records, Chandolia said that though the Delhi government had promised to grant Rs 50 crore to develop unauthorised colonies for the year 2010-11, only Rs 37.50 crore has been received so far. Stating that only Rs 569 crore had been given to the MCD for undertaking sanitation work at 1,539 unauthorised colonies since 1998, he said Walia had wrongly claimed that Rs 3,326 crore was allotted for development.
Chandolia also denied the government’s allegation that the MCD had recovered property tax to the tune of Rs 8 crore from rural villages last year. He said that in 2008-09, only Rs 51,22,000 was recovered while the amount for the first half of 2009-10 was Rs 34,62,000.
