The urban development department will now prepare the draft for the
proposed amendment bill to be placed at the next assembly session. Once
approved, the civic body will not only be able to collect property tax from the residents but will also provide civic amenities to them.

This apart, the cabinet also passed a proposal to acquire 5.76 acres of
land at Chakpachuria mouza in Rajarhat New Town for development of
civic amenities like roads, sewerage and drainage and water supply.

State urban development minister Firhad Hakim said that by bringing
this amendment bill, New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) will
get a municipal structure and act as a municipality for New Town.

On January 1, 2009, NKDA was formed after the New Town Kolkata
Development Authority Act, 2007 was passed by the state legislature. The
purpose of the authority was to provide planned development and civic
services to Rajarhat-New Town residents. At present, NKDA acts as the
local civic body for the township, but Rajarhat New Town does not fall
under any municipality or corporation.

Residents are, however,
not satisfied with the services. “There is an overall lack of civic
amenities in New Town. While garbage is seen piled up in many places,
car parking is a big problem. The quality of water has been a long
standing problem and the sewerage and drainage system is yet to be fully
developed,” a resident of the township said.

Taking into
consideration the inconvenience faced by the people, the state urban
development department had mooted the proposal in the cabinet to allow
NKDA to assess, levy and collect property tax from residents of Rajarhat
New Town. However, the proposal was deferred since the chief minister
wasn’t sure if an authority could function as a municipality. The
department was then asked to work on proposing some amendments in the
NKDA Act so that the authority could be entrusted with the
responsibility to act like a municipality or corporation and be able to
collect tax. The move has been welcomed by the residents.

The
proposal to acquire 5.76 acres of land at dag number 1,365 and 1,366 (P)
of Chakpachuria mouza will also give a boost to the township. The land
will be used for development of internal road network, sewerage and
drainage and water supply system.

Though Hidco authorities were
tightlipped about the land acquisition proposal, Hakim said that the
land was already in the possession of Hidco and that no fresh
acquisition was required. Officials said that there was no problem in
acquisition of land for any public interest project.

The state
cabinet on Monday took a significant decision by clearing the proposal
to enact the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (Amendment) Bill,
2013 to allow the authority to function as a municipality by collecting
property tax and providing civic amenities in Rajarhat New Town. The
urban development department will now prepare the draft for the proposed
amendment bill to be placed at the next assembly session. The cabinet
also passed a proposal to acquire 5.76 acres of land at Chakpachuria
mouza in Rajarhat New Town for development of civic amenities like
roads, sewerage and drainage and water supply in the upcoming township.

State urban development minister Firhad Hakim said that by bringing
this amendment bill, New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) will
get a municipal structure and act as a municipality for New Town.

Residents of New Town have been complaining for a long time that NKDA
was not able to provide civic amenities properly. “There is an overall
lack of civic amenities in New Town. Garbage is seen piled up in many
places, car parking is a big problem, quality of water has been a long
standing problem while the sewerage and drainage system is yet to be
fully developed,” a resident said.

The New Town Kolkata
Development Authority Act, 2007 was passed by the West Bengal
legislature and the authority was formed on January 1, 2009 to provide
planned development as well as civic services and amenities in areas in
Rajarhat-New Town. Presently, though NKDA acts as the local civic body,
Rajarhat New Town does not fall under any municipality or corporation
and residents of the township do not pay property tax to the government.

Earlier last year, the state urban development department had mooted
the proposal in the state cabinet to allow NKDA to assess, levy and
collect property tax from residents of Rajarhat New Town. However, the
proposal was deferred as the chief minister enquired whether an
authority can function as a municipality. The department was then asked
to work on proposing some amendments in the NKDA Act so that the
authority can be entrusted with the responsibility to act like a
municipality or corporation and be able to collect tax.

In
another decision, the cabinet passed the proposal to acquire 5.76 acres
of land at dag number 1,365 and 1,366 (P) of Chakpachuria mouza in
Rajarhat New Town for development of internal road network, sewerage and
drainage and water supply system. The decision is significant given
that chief minister Mamata Banerjee had announced that no more land would be acquired in Rajarhat New Town.

Though Hidco authorities were tightlipped about the land acquisition
proposal, state urban development minister Firhad Hakim said that the
land was already there with Hidco and that no fresh acquisition was
required. Some officials said that there was no problem in acquisition
of land for any public interest project.