The Hindu 23.12.2010
Vote on Bill relating to property tax for upcoming Rajarhat township put off
KOLKATA: The West Bengal Assembly on Wednesday deferred the passing of a Bill seeking to vest regulatory powers for the imposition of property tax in the hands of the development authority of the upcoming Rajarhat Gopalpur township here, to ensure the sustainability of civic services to its inhabitants.
It was sent to an Assembly standing committee following a request by the one of the Leader of the Opposition Partha Chatterjee.
The request was made through the Speaker, H.A. Halim as Mr. Chatterjee, whose party, the Trinamool Congress, has launched a movement against alleged forcible acquisition of land for the township and the “land scam” surrounding it, was not present in the House along with his other party colleagues. Neither was the Congress.
State Housing Minister Gautam Deb, who has dismissed these allegations, acceded to the request for referring the Bill to the standing committee but not before telling the House that he was doing so out of courtesy and deference to democratic behaviour.
The Bill could have well been passed by the House in the absence of the Opposition but he would rather have it sent to the standing committee out of democratic propriety, he told reporters later.
Regretting that the Opposition had stayed away from proceedings in the House, he wondered whether the Opposition in other States where elections are due next year was bent on stalling the passing of legislations there, as was being done in West Bengal.
The Bill, termed The New Town, Kolkata Development Authority (Second Amendment) Bill, 2010, empowers the authority to, through a resolution, exempt up to 50 per cent property tax on any land or building in the township that belongs to the economically weaker sections of society.
It also states that the development authority may exempt from payment, of a portion of property tax not exceeding 30 per cent of the actual gross amount, on any land or building exclusively used for the Information Technology sector.
Once it comes up, the township, which was recently christened Jyoti Basu Nagar, will span 8,773 acres and have an estimated population of 10 lakhs and a floating population of 5.5 lakhs.
Admitting that there could be some shortcomings given the immensity of the job at hand, Mr. Deb said that the authorities would do what was necessary to rectify any fault that may be pointed out to them.
