Hindustan Times 30.11.2010
MCD hits back on property tax rowThe Municipal Corporation of Delhi has hit back at the Delhi government and demanded an official notification to exempt unauthorised colonies and urban villages from property tax. The civic agency’s demand came a day after Delhi finance minister Dr AK Walia criticised the MCD for collecting property tax from these areas.
“The authority to take decision in this regard rests with the Delhi government, but due to political motives, they are ignoring the resolutions passed by the local body,” said Yogender Chandolia, MCD standing committee chairman, on Tuesday and dared Delhi government to immediately issue the notification for property tax exemption in villages.
Chandolia also claimed the Delhi government has not paid any heed to five resolutions passed by the MCD between 2007 and 2010 in this regard.
About regularisation of the unauthorised colonies, he agreed that the civic body has to finalise layout plans, but before that the Delhi government has to finalise boundaries.
Chandolia also read out dates and resolution numbers sent to Delhi government for further action, including the holdings in “lal-dora and lal-dora extensions to be exempted from property tax”.
This was apart from the list of “properties in unauthorised colonies that were to be kept out of the tax net until they were regularised”.
On Monday, while replying to a motion on property tax on unauthorised colonies and urbanised villages moved by MLA Mukesh Sharma, Walia had said: “The MCD has been collecting property tax from nine lakh dwelling units whereas they have no interest in providing civic services and there is no maintenance of roads, parks and colonies including unauthorised colonies.”
Walia also mentioned that the civic agency had collected property tax worth R20 crore, R2 crore and R8 crore from unauthorised colonies, urban villages and rural villages respectively in 2009-10.
