KMC brings 20K unassessed properties under its tax fold
Kolkata: Amidst cries of “deficit Budget” and “illegal constructions”, Mayor Firhad Hakim, on the concluding day of the Budget session of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), said about 20,000 unassessed properties were brought under its assessment records to bolster revenues while a committee is being formed to decide how minor deviations in building constructions in colony and slum areas can be regularised with a minimal fee.
Admitting there is a financial constraint, the mayor said the civic body has been able to increase its revenue by 19.16 per cent through collection of taxes. The deficit now stands at 40.66 per cent in the negative, he said. He added that with the support of the state, government grants have seen an increase of 8.13 per cent compared to the last financial year (2023-24). He said: “We have been able to bring under KMC’s assessment fold about 20000 unassessed properties”.
Hakim also said that the state government has been approached for exempting taxpayers of KMC-added areas from paying the land tax to BLRO. On illegal constructions, the mayor said illegal constructions have been a menace, especially in the colony and added areas in the city. “We have formed a duty roster for inspection in wards by the building department engineers. A fortnightly report is being submitted. Action was also taken for lapses,” he claimed.
He said a committee has been formed under the MMIC Debabrata Mazumder. Such a committee will recommend how with minimum fees, deviations can be regularized in slum and colony areas. This proposal will soon be placed in the house.
Presently, for regularisation of minor deviations from the building rules in construction, charges are taken as per IGR value (market value of property as determined by the state for registration). “We have served 5000 ‘stop-work’ notices, filed 500 FIRs, demolished 150 unauthorised buildings.
True we have failed in certain colony areas but in posh areas we have curbed illegal constructions,” Hakim said.
