The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : `Only data collection, not re-assessment'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 25, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

`Only data collection, not re-assessment'

By Our Staff Reporter

COIMBATORE, JAN. 24. The Coimbatore Corporation clarified at an all-party meeting today that it had embarked only on a data collection exercise and not re-assessment of buildings for Property Tax. The Opposition in the Corporation Council had called for the meeting to discuss the latest exercise and submitted a memorandum to the Corporation Commissioner, Anil Meshram, recently demanding that it be stopped immediately.

City profile

According to sources in the civic body, officials contended at the meeting that only a re-survey was being carried out and not re-assessment of buildings. The party leaders were told that the Corporation aimed at collecting data for a city profile.

The number of buildings (domestic, commercial and industrial) and their sizes and whether Property Tax was paid would form the basic data to be collected. Besides, the living standards of the people would also be studied by gathering details such as cable television connections and vehicles owned.

The officials also told the parties that this exercise was being carried out across the State, following instructions from the Commissioner of Municipal Administration. They also sought to assure the party leaders that the Corporation staff would not enter individual houses and re-assess them for Property Tax. The immediate plan was to check the length and breadth of the entire building and not measure the interior. The number of floors in all multi-storeyed structures would also be recorded.

All these details were needed for the profile that could provide quick information on the number of houses in the city, the commercial hubs, industrial units and other infrastructure.

The Opposition, however, firmly told the officials that such exercises should be undertaken only after they were discussed in and approved by the Council. The Mayor, T. Malaravan, agreed that the issue could be discussed in the next Council meeting.

Only 26 Bill Collectors

The Opposition also pointed out that a Bill Collector each was needed for the 72 wards in the city for tax collection. But, there were only 26 Bill Collectors. This problem should also be discussed in the Council to find ways to ensure that staff shortage did not impede revenue flow, they said.

The sources said that the data collection would help obtain the number of buildings that had not been assessed for tax so far. These structures might be taken up for assessment subsequently. However, the word given to the Opposition was that there was no plan now for re-assessment of other structures.

Water charges

The all-party meeting resolved to reject the civic body's proposal for a hike in the drinking water charges.

No sooner the discussion on the survey was over than the members declared that they did not want to discuss water charges hike.

The Corporation wanted a hike as it was incurring loss by providing water to the people at rates lesser than what it paid to the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board.

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