The Hindu        18.03.2011

‘Former royals should pay tax for Palace'

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) now appears to have trained its guns on the owners of the sprawling Bangalore Palace Grounds — the erstwhile royal family of Mysore. Earlier in the week, Mayor S.K. Nataraj found that there were many “sheds” that had come up on the grounds and the owners had not sought permission from the BBMP for them. The inspection also revealed that several trees had been felled and power generators were being used without permission.

According to the Mayor, the owners had not paid their dues to the BBMP for the past three years. The owners had caused a revenue loss of Rs. 4 crore to the BBMP by evading property tax and trade licence fees. “The sheds that have come up are being used for commercial purposes. They are rented out for marriages, exhibitions and conventions,” he said.

However, the BBMP was spending money to clean and maintain the grounds. “The sheds have a potential to generate annual revenue of Rs. 1.38 crore for the BBMP,” the Mayor added.