NAGPUR: Over 92 Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) officials and office bearers, including 10 ward committee chairpersons and six advisory committee chairpersons, will get back the vehicles allotted for official work from Tuesday. Mayor Maya Iwnate has ordered municipal commissioner Aseem Gupta and the general administration department (GAD) to return the vehicle to these officials and office bearers at a meeting held with officials and NMC Taxi Chalak-Malak Mahasangh on Monday.

However, some NMC officials have questioned the decision. "As per by-laws of the civic body, only mayor Maya Iwnate, deputy mayor Kishor Kumeria and municipal commissioner Aseem Gupta are entitled to one official vehicle each. However, 92 civic officials and office bearers were using vehicles given by NMC, while 16 officials were using their private vehicles and claiming reimbursement from the civic body. How can the Mayor order return of these vehicles to all officials?" they asked.

The issue had come into focus when corporators Sandip Joshi and Pravin Datke questioned the administration's increase in vehicle allowance for some NMC officials from Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,000 without the permission of the house. They were supported by ruling party leader Anil Sole and opposition member Praful Gudadhe. Iwnate had then ordered withdrawal of vehicles of all such officials and recovery of the Rs 4,000 extra per month paid to such officials.

A day later, Gupta had hit back at the corporators by withdrawing all 92 hired vehicles being used by civic officials and office bearers, including the 10 ward committee chairpersons, six advisory committee chairpersons and nine vehicles of health officials.

Now, the solution arrived upon to suit both sides will result in the issue of hiking the maintenance charges from Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,000 being put up before the general body meeting for discussion. The house is expected to allow the 16 officials; 10 zonal officers, municipal secretary and five deputy engineers, to receive Rs 12,000 as maintenance charges. In return, the administration will allow the hired private vehicles to remain at the disposal of civic officials and office bearers from tomorrow, a senior GAD official said.

MUMBAI: In a major glitch, the BMC has been issuing property tax receipts to housing societies in the name of the land owners. The land is in the name of the builder rather than the housing society in an overwhelming majority. The issuance of property tax receipts in the name of the land owner has triggered confusion across the city.

Vinod Sampat, an expert on co-operative laws, said the action showed utter callousness of the BMC towards citizens. "In just about 10% cases across the state has the land conveyance been done. The government, too, is not pushing the issue. Generally members of housing societies don't even know that the land hasn't been conveyed to them. The problem arises when the housing society is to be redeveloped or a loan is sought against the land,'' he said.

N A Pathan, chief assessor and collector, said a software glitch had caused the goof-up. "We are in the process of computerisation and this error occurred,''he said.

The BMC issues property tax bills in two cycles__six months apart. The bill includes charges for civic amenities except water. Normally, the BMC issues a single bill in the name of the society. The society committee has to collect the amount and remit it to the BMC. A few years ago, the BMC allowed bills for individual flat owners in societies where such a resolution was passed.

Vasant Patil, a resident of Ashok Nagar, Kandivli (E) said for the last three cycles residents of his society had received bills and receipts in the individual flat owners' name. "This time, the bill was issued in the flat owners' names but the receipts came in the name of the land owner. In other buildings in the area, the bills and receipts used to be issued in the name of the society's secretary and that of the land owner. This time, only the name of the land owner is mentioned,'' he said.

Patil wondered if this was BMC's ploy to deny residents the Rs 1 lakh insurance incentive provided by the civic body to ensure that citizens pay on time.

Pathan said the error had been rectified and the BMC would issue proper receipts next time. He, however, added that societies that seek corrected receipts would be given the same. "It is not possible to issue a corrected receipt to every housing society as we do not know how many receipts were wrongly printed,'' he said.