Delhi govt forms fifth MVC to give recommendations to three civic bodies

Delhi government constituted a fifth Municipal Valuation Committee (MVC) that will make recommendations to the three civic bodies here — North, East and South — on matters of classification of vacant lands and buildings into colonies, government officials said on Wednesday.

According to the officials, the five-member committee will be headed by retired IAS officer Anindo Majumdar. Other members of the committee are retired IAS officer Umesh Kumar Tyagi, additional commissioner of South Delhi Municipal Corporation (in-charge of the property tax department) Amit Sharma, chartered Accountant Naveen ND Gupta and advocate M Badar Mohmood.

“An order in connection with formation of the fifth MVC was issued by the government on November 5,” a government official said.

Confirming this, the civic bodies said the tenure of the committee will be six months within which it will submit the report.

According to civic officials, the primary task of MVC-5 will be to make recommendations to the three civic bodies on matters relating to increase or decrease in rates of property tax on residential as well as commercial and rented properties.

Last year, MVC-3 had recommended doubling the property tax on rented commercial properties, telecom towers, vacant commercial lands, industries, marriage halls, banquets, educational institutions, entertainment and recreation facilities.

These recommendations were implemented by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) in April 2020 and were later implemented by the other two civic bodies as well.

However, in October 2021, these hiked property taxes were rolled back by all three municipal corporations.

The MVC also gives recommendations on classification of vacant lands and buildings in any ward of Delhi into colonies, valuation of properties under jurisdiction of civic bodies, a senior SDMC official said.

“The MVC shall recommend the classification of various lands and buildings like plotted housing, group housing, urban village, colony with flats, unauthorised colony, resettlement colony, rural village and non-residential area,” the official said.

A statement released by the SDMC said the MVC is a statutory body and it makes recommendations with regards to the classification of various colonies, lands and buildings.

It also makes recommendations on decrease or increase in Unit Area Value (UAV) of various lands and buildings in different categories of colonies, use factor of various buildings and lands as per the use, occupancy factor and age factor among others, the statement read.

“The MVC will also recommend classification of availability of civic and social infrastructure, access to roads, access to district centres, local shopping centres, convenience shopping centres and other markets,” it stated.

“Further, the MVC will recommend group-wise base unit area value (a parameter of tax evaluation) of any owner-occupied vacant land or any wholly owner-occupied building constructed in the year 2000 or thereafter and put to exclusive residential use,” the statement said.