The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Pre-construction sanctions in city become dearer

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Tuesday, Jan 01, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Pre-construction sanctions in city become dearer

Staff Reporter

BBMP collecting cess for construction workers’ welfare

BBMP has started collecting the cess from November
The additional cess has pushed up construction cost

BANGALORE: Did you know that apart from paying an increased building licence fee and ground rent to get your building plan sanctioned from the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), you also have to pay an additional cess of one per cent of the total construction cost?

Following a requisition from the Labour Department, BBMP has started collecting this cess from November. This money is to be deposited with the Labour Department for the welfare of workers in the construction industry and other unorganised sectors.

Authorised

The State Government, which has set up the Karnataka State Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board, has authorised the Labour Department to get this cess collected by the urban local body. The civic body, which recently revised the building licence fee and ground rent, now has the responsibility of collecting this cess failing which “there are possibilities of attracting the wrath of Comptroller and Auditor General.”

A letter dated October 23 from the Labour Commissioner’s office has made this clear to BBMP Commissioner S. Subramanya.

This additional cess has further pushed up construction costs in the city and citizens have to shell out lakhs of rupees to get pre-construction sanctions alone.

City MLAs V. Somanna, Ramalinga Reddy, Dinesh Gundu Rao and former Mayor P R Ramesh, who condemned the BBMP for taking policy decisions arbitrarily, said this additional cess is an “additional burden” on citizens.

Resolutions

Mr. Ramesh pointed out that BBMP Administrator Dilip Rau and Commissioner S. Subramanya had adopted nine important resolutions directly affecting citizens in the last one year.

Terming most of these decisions as “undemocratic” and “unconstitutional,” Mr Ramesh said the Administrator had no powers to approve subjects that involve financial matters.

“We will urge the Governor Rakeshwar Thakur to revoke all the decisions taken by the Administrator and Commissioned and ensure that people are not put to hardship,” he added.

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