The Hindu 31.10.2014
Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation to focus on increasing internal resources
Special council meeting proposed on November 11
Delay in release of funds for development works by the State government seems to have forced the Hubli- Dharwad Municipal Corporation to deliberate on increasing its internal resources and a special council meeting has been proposed on the issue.
After Congress councillor Ganesh Tagargunti moved a calling attention motion on the revenue losses and non-availability of funds for development works, and a heated discussion, Mayor Shivu Hiremath said the special council meeting would be convened on November 11.
The Mayor asked the officials of revenue, health and town planning departments to come out with specific plans pertaining to their departments on increasing internal resources. In addition, issues such as lapses in generating revenue, increasing revenue collection through steps such as bringing in revised tariffs in awarding trade licences, and stringent steps on defaulters would be deliberated, he said.
Earlier, elaborating on the issue, Mr. Tagargunti blamed official apathy for the dwindling internal resources of the municipal corporation. He pointed out that while roughly over 30,000 shops and commercial establishments operated in the twin cities, the officials had issued only 22,000 trade licences. While the corporation was supposed to generate Rs. 1 crore through trade licences, it was collecting only Rs. 30 lakh, he said.
Mr. Tagargunti pointed out that irrespective of the trade, the area of the office/shop premises and the commodities or services they were dealing with, trade licence holders were paying the same fee. He stressed the need for collecting fee depending on the business and the area being used for the purpose.
The former Mayor Viranna Savadi referred to the issue of around 3,000 corporation properties in the twin cities that were leased out and whose lease term had ended in 2003. Councillors blamed officials for the poor rate of revenue collection and said that through property tax, stallage and trade licence fees, and property leases, the corporation could generate around Rs. 60 crore to Rs. 70 crore.
Chaos
The
discussion on the issue earlier resulted in chaos after Mr. Viranna
Savadi referred to the statement of the district-in-charge Minister on
the release of funds and said that no fund had been released to the
municipal corporation till date. The former Mayor Prakash Kyarakatti and
others took strong exception to it. Both BJP and Congress councillors
engaged in a verbal duel resulting in chaos. After restoring order, the
Mayor said Rs. 60 crore to Rs. 70 crore was required for road repair in
Hubli and Dharwad and the funds had not been released yet. Mr. Hiremath
said he would again request the government to release it.
