Urban News

The Hindu     18.05.2010

Corporation to levy Rs. 50 annual fee for pet dogs

Staff Reporter

CHENNAI: The Chennai Corporation will issue licences for pet dogs at its dispensaries and veterinary public health centres in the city.

Dog owners will have to pay an annual fee of Rs.50 towards the licence, which is mandatory. The dogs will also be immunised free of cost. Pet owners may visit the veterinary public health centres on Pallavan Salai in Thiru.Vi.Ka. Nagar and Lake Area in Nungambakkam, Dog pound at Basin Bridge, dispensaries at Veerabhadran Street, Pudupet and Chandrayogi Samathi Street, Perambur.

According to corporation officials, about 2,000 such licences were issued last year. It is estimated that there are about 75,000 pet dogs in the city. “We expect to issue at least 5,000 new licences this year,” said an official.

These steps are being taken to eradicate rabies. A door-to-door survey is also being proposed to be conducted to identify dogs, which have not been immunised or issued licence, the official said.

The Hindu 06.04.2010

Pay taxes promptly, says Corporation Commissioner

Special Correspondent

COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore Corporation has collected more Property Tax in the 2009-2010 financial year than in the previous year, but wants the people to pay all taxes promptly in order to achieve at least 95 per cent collection as per the guidelines of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

“Our collection in 2009-2010 was better than the previous financial year. We issued more notices to defaulters and cut more water lines as a punitive measure,” Corporation Commissioner Anshul Mishra said on Monday.

“But, we still did not achieve our target of 95 per cent collection as per the JNNURM guidelines. The Corporation will work to achieve this in the current financial year,” he said.

The Corporation collected Rs. 52.79 crore Property Tax as against the target of Rs. 65.16 crore. The collection was 81 per cent, an improvement over the last financial year's achievement of 77 per cent. The arrears to be collected during 2009-2010 was Rs.34 crore. But, the collection was Rs.14 crore.

The drinking water consumption charges target for that year was Rs.14.77 crore and the collection was Rs.10.64 crore. The collection of arrears was Rs.6.1 crore, as against the target of Rs.8.6 crore.

The Corporation wanted the people to shun the habit of rushing to the tax payment counters at the end of the financial year. An official said that prompt payment meant paying taxes at the start of the financial year – by April 15 – and not at the end of the year on March 31.