The Times of India 14.08.2012
Clarify house tax stand, SC to Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon
GURGAON: In a hearing on Monday, the Supreme Court asked the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) to clarify its stand on house tax
from residents. Gurgaon In 2009, the Gurgaon Citizens' Council had
approached the court over the MCG charging them house tax without
providing any basic service. Even though last week, the MCG had
announced that it waived off house tax for two years (2008-10),
according to the petitioner, it failed to inform the court about this.
"The MCG has acted very cleverly where in, just a week before this
hearing was supposed to take place, it announced to the media that it
has waived off the house tax for two years, but did not inform the court
about it. However, the court was not amused with the move and asked the
MCG lawyer to give an official statement clarifying the corporation's
stand on the house tax issue. Justice DK Jain has given 10 days to the
corporation to file a report stating whether or not it has waived off
the tax for the said period," said R S Rathee, president, Gurgaon
Citizens Council.
Adding, "The court has also asked the
municipal corporation whether it would start providing basic services
like water and sewerage before charging house tax. We also appealed to
the court that it should ask the state government on what it is doing
about the issue of private builder areas. Ideally, five years after a
builder is given licence by the Town and Country Planning department,
the builder should take a completion certificate. However, neither the
state government nor the private builders seem to be in a hurry to
obtain completion certificate. And without this certificate, the
corporation cannot takeover the builder area. The authorities are
purposefully delaying the entire process."
The MCG
commissioner, on his part, said they %will file a response. "The court
has given us 10 days in which we have to file our report and we will do
so," said MCG commissioner Sudhir Rajpal.
