Decrepit bldngs, BLRO land-tax exemption flagged in KMC Budget session

Kolkata: On the first day of the Budget discussion, councillors of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) raised concerns over dilapidated buildings in the city while urging the civic body to see if residents of added areas can be exempted from paying BLRO land tax.

Councillor Ellora Saha, on Monday, urged the civic body to come up with a legal solution where a specific timeline can be set for starting reconstruction work of dilapidated buildings in the city. She said that even after issuing no objection certificates (NOCs), owners of such properties are not starting the reconstruction work. Every passing day increases the risk of collapse. She also cited the building collapse incident in Pathuriaghata in her ward earlier which had killed one person. Saha said that unless the issue is addressed before the coming monsoon, there can be more fatalities.

According to the KMC Building department, some important amendments in the KMC Act, 1980 have been executed for dealing with insecure buildings under Section 412A of the Act. This includes handing over ‘occupancy certificate’ to existing tenants. It was learnt that the civic body is also sanctioning new plans on an immediate basis for such buildings.

Meanwhile, councillor Ratna Sur urged KMC if the taxpayers in the added area can be exempted from paying the land tax to BLRO while also suggested that mutation be done for several properties in such areas to bring them under the civic body’s assessment record.

Previously councillor Rupak Ganguly had flagged the issue, calling it a “discrimination” since residents of wards 101 to 144 are still paying land tax to the BLRO office while citizens in wards 1-100 of KMC area don’t have to do so.

Acknowledging the issue, mayor Firhad Hakim had said that laws under the Land Department need to be amended. “We have already moved the matter at a higher level and I have personally drawn the attention of the Chief Minister towards this issue. However, it is stuck in a bureaucratic hurdle,” he had said. Further, as part of e-governance KMC is planning a centralised module for Building and Assessment collection departments for scheduling and recording all hearings held in KMC across departments.