KOLHAPUR: Kolhapur Municipal Corporation’s (KMC) standing committee has demanded waiver in the property tax of the properties stuck in the flooded waters of Panchaganga river.
Sharangdhar Deshmukh, chairman of the committee has claimed that the citizens shifted to the shelter camps have lost their properties and other important materials. The flood affected citizens are not in a position to pay any taxes claimed Deshmukh.
He said that KMC have demanded that for the properties which are damaged in the floods, there should be 100% waiver in the property tax and for the partially damaged houses the waiver should be 50% of the total bills. The inspection of the houses damaged is being carried out. Many people who have lost their homes are still in shelter camps. There should be relief to them and the administration should provide relief to them in every possible way.
Over 10,000 people were shifted from the flood-affected areas. The civic administration estimates that around 140 houses are damaged such that they have become unsafe to live in.
The civic administration have decided to carry out the structural audit of the houses, apartments stuck in the floods.
He said that the waiver in the property tax bills will not amount to huge loss to the KMC’s revenue. He claimed that if the waiver scheme is accepted the total amount of property tax waived will not be more than Rs 1 crore.
Deshmukh further stated that those owners who have already paid the annual property tax bills should be given the waiver for the next year.
He also said that since the Kolhapur Municipal Transport (KMT) was out of service for two weeks, the administration should extend the validity of the concession passes provided to students and senior citizens by two weeks.
Source: ET Realty