Proposal to cut 50% fine on property tax in tomorrow's meet

The general body meeting of the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) will decide the fate of a proposal on Wednesday to waive 50% of the fine amount imposed on property tax dues. The property tax department has drafted the proposal. Property tax dues are mounting and the KMC has to ensure the recovery of dues before the end of the financial year. Every year, the property tax department faces shortages in the recovery of the tax amount because of the poor recovery mechanism. Now, in order to woo defaulters, the department has decided to waive the fine amount by 50%. A senior official of the property tax department said, “Due to several reasons, the defaulters have not been able to pay their dues in the past. The fine amount in some cases has been multiplied more than the actual amount due. The fine waiver scheme will be applicable only for those defaulters who are ready to pay the principal amount due in a single payment as we cannot allow instalments to recover the dues.” A proposal of Rs15 crore to develop the Rankala lake premises will also be tabled for approval. The state government has recently sanctioned the amount and a plan has been prepared by the public works department of the KMC. This includes landscaping, providing facilities for tourists and stopping the sewage water from entering the lake, which gives a bad odour to the water in the lake and can sometimes cause the death of fish. Already, the KMC has set aside funds to carry out conservation work on the old structures in the lake. The other proposal to be tabled in the meeting is about starting the centralized kitchen facility to serve food for the students of KMC-run schools. A Bengaluru based NGO has approached the KMC to start the central kitchen. This has been approved by the primary education committee of the KMC. The corporators will table their proposals in the general body meeting for consideration. One of the proposals seeks to shut the anti-encroachment department, claiming that it has proven ineffective against the growing encroachments in the city. The proposal seeks to transfer the staff of that department to other departments. However, according to sources, the civic administration will not entertain the proposal, even if it is accepted, or it is possible that the proposal may be withdrawn after consultation with the concerned corporators.