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Municipality takes steps to overcome financial crisis

Photo: T. Singaravelou

Calling for attention: Councillors displaying banners to highlight civic problems at the municipal council meeting in Puducherry on Friday. —

PUDUCHERRY: To overcome the financial crunch in the Puducherry Municipality, the civic body has decided to augment its property tax collection. An intense campaign to target property tax defaulters would be launched in the 42 wards from January 28.

A mobile van carrying employees of the civic body would tour all the wards till March 31 to collect property tax arrears amounting to Rs. 1.8 crore, officials in the Puducherry Municipality said.

The municipality had set a target of Rs. 2.6 crore to be collected as property tax for 2005-2006.

So far, it had collected only Rs. 1.93 crore, the officials said. Besides launching the mobile van, four separate counters would be opened to collect the arrears, he added.

Preparations were being made to issue demand notices for collecting tax from about 40,000 households for 2007-2008, the official said.

At the council meet on Friday, which was held after a long interval, amidst uproar and walkouts the municipality passed a total of 57 resolutions, including a proposal to hand over Anna Thidal to a private agency to develop the ground into a modern sports complex.

The agency would develop the ground free of cost and hand it over to the municipality for holding sports meets and to train government school students in various events.

Another resolution was passed to issue licences to domestic dogs for a fee of Rs. 150. The license had to be reviewed each year by paying the fee. The municipality also proposed to convert the control room telephone number (2333825) into a helpline. They have decided to seek the sanction of BSNL to make it as a toll-free number for residents to lodge complaints.

Councillors cutting across party lines protested the alleged apathetic attitude of the municipality in addressing civic problems, particularly the mosquito and stray dog menace.

The councillors complained that the municipality had not taken enough steps to contain these problems.

Several councillors also spoke about the financial crisis facing the municipality. They said cheques issued for works were returned from banks for want of funds. They also demanded an increase in the property tax for commercial buildings.

Councillors also wanted the authorities to have a proper system in place for ‘question hour’ when the council met. They urged the authorities to get the list of questions to be raised by members of the council ahead of the meeting.

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