The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Governor urged to withhold fee hike

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Tuesday, Jan 01, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Governor urged to withhold fee hike

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: Five Congress leaders from the city, including two former Ministers, on Monday urged Governor Rameshwar Thakur to stay the decision of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike Administrator Dilip Rau and Commissioner S. Subramanya to increase the building licence fee, ground rent and to obtain certified copies of the plan as it would be a huge burden on the property owners in the city.

Addressing presspersons, Bangalore City District Congress Committee president Ramalinga Reddy, the former Minister V. Somanna, the former MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao, the former Mayor P.R. Ramesh and president of the Karnataka State Housing Cooperative Federation S.T. Somasekhar said they would present a memorandum to Mr. Thakur in a day or two.

Mr. Thakur, they said, would be urged to keep the decision of the Administrator, which was taken in violation of the Karnataka Municipal Council Act in the absence of an elected council and without the approval of the State Government, in abeyance, till elections to the BBMP Council and the Legislative Assembly were held.

They said that the eight-fold increase of fee on residential apartment and ten-fold on commercial buildings was a “curse” on the people of Bangalore. Even the fee for giving khata extract had been increased from Rs. 100 to Rs. 500 and the fee for issuing birth and death certificates had increased from Rs. 12 to Rs. 25. The Administrator and Commissioner, they said, had no courtesy to discuss such important issues that affect the people, with the people’s representatives.

The Congress leaders said such “anti-people decisions” were being taken owing to the blunder committed by the previous government in not holding elections to the BBMP Council, which was due for more than a year. The Administrator, they alleged, had scant regard for the people.

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