Urban News

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Taxation

Jan Seva Kendras for quality BMC governance

Thursday, 18 July 2013 10:15 administrator
Print PDF

The Pioneer          18.07.2013

Jan Seva Kendras for quality BMC governance

As part of the qualitative city governance initiative, the State Government on Wednesday asked the Bhubaneswar Municipal Commissioner and the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) to start citizen centric single window Jan Seva Kendras (JSKs) within their limits to provide essential services and ensure effective garbage clearance.

In the first phase, as many as 30 JSKs would be set up in the capital city and the BDA authorities have been asked to provide permissive possession of the lands for the centers within three months.

While reviewing the implementation of city governance services at the Secretariat, Chief Secretary Jugal Kishore Mohapatra told the BDA to locate the JSKs in the core areas of the city and make them visible to people with quick response system. Besides, he asked the BDA to work out the details of fund requirement and commission the services within three months time, official sources said.

Since citizens need information about essential services for the upkeep and maintenance of their houses and need easily approachable centers to ay the Government dues and taxes and get different types of certificates and approvals, Mohapatra emphasized on designated and dependable centers as only alternative to lodge the complaints and get them redressed.

“All the citizen centric services can be brought under one roof in the Jana Seva Kendras to which people can walk in and register their needs and grievances,” the Chief Secretary said.

Development Commissioner Injeti Srinivas also directed the BDA authorities to identify locations in market and other public places to which people generally go frequently.

Emphasizing on effective garbage clearance inside the city, the Chief Secretary advised BMC Commissioner Sanjeeb Kumar Mishra to work out proper monitoring and supervision system for looking into service delivery of agencies awarded with outsourcing contract.

Sources said that the BMC Commissioner had been instructed to designate one ward officer in each ward and publicize his  mobile number to the residents of that ward so that people can directly contact him to submit their complains and suggestions. The designated ward officer should be visible on streets from 7am to 9am so that people can directly interact with him, he said.

It was decided at the meeting to construct 19 more vending zones. The Chief Secretary asked the Urban Development Department authorities to find out strategies for construction and management of public toilets and night shelters.

 

90% pay new property tax, but revenue dips

Thursday, 18 July 2013 08:53 administrator
Print PDF

Hindustan Times              18.07.2013

90% pay new property tax, but revenue dips

The good news for the civic body is that despite the vociferous protests against its new property tax system, nearly 90% of the 2.64 lakh citizens who were sent bills have cleared their dues.

The bad news, however, is that its collection has dropped by nearly Rs400 crore as it had to reduce the tax rates for various categories at the insistence of the citizens and political parties to get their backing.

According to its figures, while the revenue the old tax system could have generated is more than Rs3,300 crore, the civic body will be able to fetch only around Rs2,900 crore for the last fiscal.

Ironically, this dip comes in the face of allegations made by various citizen groups that the new capital value-based system is being introduced only so that the civic body can increase its revenue.

Civic officials admit the response from citizens has been commendable.

An official from the assessment and collection department said, “Initially, many had been skeptical because they kept hoping this system will be scrapped. But when they realised it is here to stay, they paid up.”

Between December to April, more than 1.31 lakh property owners paid tax under the new system, while from April to June- end, another 1.11 lakh cleared their dues.

The civic body has collected Rs852 crore in this period, while the rest of its collections have been adjusted against the money citizens have paid through provisional bills sent out in the last three years.

A senior civic official said, “We are happy with the collection. There are new properties that we are yet to map and send bills to. Hence, this collection will rise in the next year or two.”

Bandra-based activist Vidya Vaidya, who was among the many to protest against the system, said, “We are a city of law abiding citizens. Hence, even those of us who protested against the system have paid up, but in protest. We will continue to fight this irrational system.”

The civic body will also give refunds to taxpayers who have paid in excess in the last three years. The amount, of Rs898 crore, is due to 8.59 lakh citizens, who have paid property tax in excess more than once in the past three years.

 

BPS: violators need to cough up 25 p.c. more tax

Wednesday, 17 July 2013 04:13 administrator
Print PDF

The Hindu             17.07.2013

BPS: violators need to cough up 25 p.c. more tax

G.V.R. Subba Rao

Brace up! The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation is all set to collect an additional 25 per cent of the property tax from applicants who failed to regularise their buildings under the Building Penalisation Scheme (BPS).

The corporation is set to collect an additional 200 per cent of the property tax if the building has been constructed in deviation from the plan sanctioned and the owner had not applied for regulation under the scheme.

Nearly 3,000 applications submitted under the scheme were rejected for want of documents and plans, etc. Of this, 1,340 applicants have not paid total penalty amount, while 1,513 have not submitted the requisite documents.

About 94 applicants have no fire equipment, and 52 do not have layout regulation. The town planning has already sent data of 500 applications to the revenue wing for levying additional 25 per cent.

The rejection of 3,000 applications will take the total to 3,500. The VMC is likely to receive Rs. 15 crore per annum through additional tax, according to City Planner Chakrapani.

The government had, earlier, issued orders directing local bodies to either collect 25 per cent of tax additionally or demolish the buildings where deviations and violations were noticed.

The VMC officials, apprehensive that demolition would invite uproar and unrest from the public, confined themselves to levying the penalty.

Falls short of estimates

The corporation sold nearly 18,400 applications, while it printed 19,000. The VMC could dispose of only 65 per cent of the applications received under the scheme.

 
More Articles...


Page 48 of 265