* Directs the civic administration to issue circular within seven days
regarding the committee’s decision of staying hike in development
charges
Staff Reporter
Standing Committee of Nagpur
Municipal Corporation (NMC), on Wednesday, asked the civic
administration to issue a circular regarding stay ordered by the
committee to usurious hike in development charges. Standing Committee,
which had stayed the hike in development charges on April 10, expressed a
‘strong displeasure’ over the administration not issuing a circular to
this effect despite passage of almost a month.
“Standing Committee
had passed a resolution on April 10, staying the usurious hike in
development charges. Since then, the NMC administration was expected to
implement the decision of the committee and issue a circular. However,
as the administration has failed in doing so, members of Standing
Committee expressed a strong displeasure over this,” said Ramesh
Singare, Chairman of Standing Committee. He was talking to reporters
after the committee’s meeting held on Wednesday. The committee had asked
the administration to submit a revised proposal to Standing Committee
within 15 days. However, Singare said, no such proposal came to the
committee.
Hence, Singare told reporters, the committee issued fresh
directions to the administration to issue a circular within seven days
in accordance with the decision taken on April 10. “We have asked the
civic administration to implement our previous resolution and inform the
department concerned about stay given to hike in development charges,”
he added. Further, the Standing Committee resolved to delegate powers to
Chairman of the committee to take appropriate decision regarding
hike/decline in various development charges and compounding charges.
Standing
Committee members felt that the hike in development charges proposed by
the administration was not only ‘usurious’ but also ‘illogical’. At the
time of granting permissions for construction or sanctioning layout,
various charges were levied on the rate of land as per Ready Reckoner
(RR). And, when it came to compounding charges, under the new proposal
it was being levied on rate of construction as per the RR. “As there was
difference in both, the proposal for usurious hike in development
charges was illogical,” Singare said. There should be some logic in levy
of charges. The proposal cleared by NMC general body in its meeting
held on July 5, 2008, was logical as it proposed to levy charges on rate
of construction and had proposed hike of 10 per cent every three years.
It may be mentioned here that ‘The Hitavada’ has been pointing out
that the steep hike in development charges will have a greater impact on
the prices of flats and shops in the city. NMC had hiked development
charges up to a whopping 2,000 per cent for residential buildings and up
to 4,625 per cent for commercial buildings. This evoked sharp reactions
as it would result in manifold increase in construction cost and
ultimately lead to common man’s dream of having own property remaining
unrealised. In certain cases, even the construction of around 150 sq ft
had generated demand for charges to the tune of a whopping Rs 3 lakh.
The hike in development charges was up to 35 times in case of
residential properties and 58 times in case of commercial properties.
Annual special cleanliness
tax on hotels, hospitals Standing
Committee, in its meeting held on Wednesday, also cleared levy of
annual special cleanliness tax on hotels, restaurants, marriage halls,
lawns, and hospitals. As per the proposal, the tax will be levied from
financial year 2015-16. Tax Assessment Committee had suggested certain
amendments in the proposal moved by the administration.
18-metre DP road
proposal cleared
The
committee also cleared a proposal for works pertaining to construction
of 18-metre Development Plan (DP) road from Morris College T-Point to
Institute of Science/Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University
building. As no bid was received for development of this road, and
District Collector had given advance possession of 7,914.993 sq mtrs
land required for the project, NMC Standing Committee had received a
proposal for two major related works. These included demolition of old
protection walls and construction of new walls, replacing old bridge
with new one. The administration had sought permission of Standing
Committee to proposal for inviting tenders for new construction of
footpath, drainage, and road. “Only physical possession is to be taken,”
Singare said.
Standing Committee
clears Rs 1.01 cr bills
Standing
Committee also cleared the pending bills of Rs 1,01,69,418 to various
contractors for works done between October 6, 2010 and February 28,
2012, regarding repairs and maintenance of water supply pipelines in 10
zones. Already, an amount of Rs 2,83,42,000 was paid and remaining was
to be paid. This got approval in the meeting of Standing Committee held
on Wednesday. Asked if NMC was paying contractors for works done in
pilot project area of Orange City Water (OCW), Singare said that he
would examine the matter and order probe if there was some ‘mistake’.
(06-05-15)
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