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Taxation

Civic body proposes to charge more for renting public parks

Tuesday, 29 September 2009 10:15 administrator
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HindustanTimes 29.09.2009

Civic body proposes to charge more for renting public parks

Everyone dreams of a farmhouse wedding but most settle for the neighbourhood park — it costs much cheaper.

But soon these public parks may also get out of people’s reach because the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) may increase the rates it charges for the use of these parks.

Booking rates for certain parks in the city, which residents can hire to organise parties and wedding functions, would be increased from Rs 5,000 per day to Rs 30,00 per day. The civic agency is also planning to increase the booking rate of Punjabi Bagh stadium to Rs 30,000 for each part of the stadium.

“There is a lot of demand for the Punjabi Bagh stadium and the charged are quite low currently. The MCD hardly gets any amount from it. The open space is decorated by installing large tents by the party holding the function. Most of these weddings have a huge budget and increasing the rates will not affect them,” said a senior MCD official.

“We have more than 675 parks where we still charge Rs 1,000 and above.”

According to the civic agency, the tent mafia is making huge profits from the bookings of all these parks.

“The residents are charged exorbitant amount by the tent mafia but we (civic body) are not making any profit. These tent mafias don't remove tents after the function is over and use it for other functions. But they don't pay us,” said MCD commissioner KS Mehra.

“There is a proposal to charge them Rs 30,000 as well if they fail to remove the tent after the function is over.”

In case of Punjabi Bagh stadium, the penalty for not removing the tent on time has been proposed to Rs 50,000.

A proposal in this regard was tabled in the standing committee meeting of the MCD held recently. However, a number of municipal councillors raised certain objections to the plan. A committee has now been constituted to take a final decision on the issue.

“The committee will submit its findings within a month’s time,” said standing committee chairman Ram Kishan Singhal.

The civic agency plans to stop the use of its 675 parks for weddings and functions by 2015. To compensate for the loss of open space, it has proposed to construct 147 community halls by that time.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 29 September 2009 10:28
 

Weddings to cost more as MCD raises rates for some parks

Tuesday, 29 September 2009 09:32 administrator
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Indian Express 29.09.2009

Weddings to cost more as MCD raises rates for some parks

Getting married in Delhi might soon get dearer as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has decided to increase booking rates of certain parks.

For a start, the charges — daily booking rates are up from Rs 5,000 to Rs 30,000 — have been raised for 14 parks across the city, officials said. The civic agency is also planning to increase the booking rate of Punjabi Bagh stadium to Rs 30,000 for each part of the stadium.

“There is lot of pressure for booking the stadium at Punjabi Bagh,” a senior MCD official said, “and compared to the demand, the rates we charge are quite low. The civic body, thus, barely manages to make any money from renting out the premises.”

The official said most people who book the stadium for weddings have a huge budget and can afford the increasing rates. Explaining that there are still many options for people who cannot afford the hike, the official said, “We have more than 684 parks where we still charge Rs 1,000 or thereabouts.”

Senior MCD officials said the tent mafia is making huge profits from bookings made at all these parks.

Municipal Commissioner K S Mehra said: “Residents are charged exorbitant amount by the tent mafia but we are not making any profit. These tent mafias don’t remove their tents after the function is over and use it for holding other functions but they don’t pay us.

“We have also proposed to charge them Rs 30,000 if they fail to remove the tent after a particular function is over.”

The penalty is steeper if tents are not removed in time at the Punjabi Bagh stadium — officials said it is being increased to Rs 50,000. A proposal in this regard was tabled in the MCD Standing Committee meeting recently. But several municipal councillors raised certain objections to the plan, officials said.

A committee has now been constituted to take a final decision. “The committee will submit its findings within a month,” Standing Committee chairman Ram Kishan Singhal said.

Dearer parks
* Ajmal Khan park (parks I, II and IV)
* Traffic training park, Children’s Park
* Dussehra ground park, Vikaspuri
* Dussehra ground park, opposite Rajdhani Tent House Lawn near Vikaspuri
* Timar Market, Kirti Nagar
* Lawn number 1, near Ring Road, Punjabi Bagh
* Park in Pi-LU block, Part II, Pitampura
* C-4 block, Keshavpuram
* Two parks in New Friends Colony

Last Updated on Tuesday, 29 September 2009 09:50
 

House tax, water rate not on MC agenda

Monday, 28 September 2009 06:56 administrator
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The Times of India 28.09.2009

House tax, water rate not on MC agenda

Rajan Walia, TNN 28 September 2009, 02:37am IST

CHANDIGARH: Mayor Kamlesh and municipal councillors are sticking to their guns in opposition to the twin issues of increasing water tariff and introducing house tax in the city.

The two items have again not found mention on the agenda for the upcoming general house meeting of the municipal corporation to be held on Tuesday. This is despite UT home secretary Ram Niwas and Chandigarh municipal commissioner Roshan Sunkaria seeking that the issues at least be discussed in the MC house.

Sunkaria had sent an agenda including the two issues to the mayor for her approval. However, she did not accept that. While informing The Times of India about this, a senior MC official stated that this was an outright rejection to table the two issues in the house. “We will have to approach the Chandigarh administration and seek its intervention in getting these implemented at the earliest. The city cannot afford to lose Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission funds, which are linked to the MC taking these steps,” insisted the official.

At the recent meeting of the MC’s finance and contract committee, the mayor and other councillors had stated that they could not take a decision regarding battery-operated vehicles ferrying shoppers in Sector-17 plaza as the civic body did not have the power to deal with Motor Vehicles Act related issues. They had also refused to act on phasing out horse carts in the city for the same reason. UT administration had forwarded those two proposals.

Talking about the issues missing from the agenda, Kamlesh said, “We don’t wish to unnecessarily burden city’s residents by imposing house tax or increasing water tariff. Look at the neglected areas like slums. The people there don?t get proper supply of water at all. Let the authorities provide water and then we would think of raising the water tariff.”

Senior nominated councilllor AP Sanwaria said the mayor’s decision regarding the agenda was unfortunate. He ridiculed the mayor’s stand that MC did not need JNNURM funds as it had enough cash deposits in the bank.

“How can you compare incoming central funds with cash resources we have to get more funds for the city’s development and can’t afford to ignore JNNURM.”

Sanwaria insisted he would make efforts to get the issue discussed on Tuesday. “Let it create differences among councillors. We would put all possible pressure on the house to get the issue discussed,” said Sanwaria.
 
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