Larger role for welfare bodies favoured

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, DEC. 31. The Municipal Commissioner, Dr. P.K. Mohanty, wanted the Resident Welfare Associations to function as mini- municipalities by taking up a participatory role in the works taken up by the municipal authorities in their respective colonies.

"This was to ensure quality of the works and proper utilisation of the funds", he said speaking at a meeting organised by the Confederation of Welfare Associations of Mehdipatnam Zone on Sunday.

The meeting was organised by the Confederation which comprises 30 colonies of Mehdipatnam zone, to submit self-assessment forms of property tax to the Commissioner. The Confederation was successful in enhancing the total amount to Rs. 26,00,000 this year from Rs. 14,00,000 from last year.

Expressing his pleasure at the positive response from the residential colonies, Dr. Mohanty said that the Corporation would now concentrate on the non-residential properties. He said it was unfair to collect taxes only from the residential associations and turn a blind eye towards the commercial properties, which were under-assessed by owners.

He pointed out that 50 per cent of commercial properties were paying less than what the resident properties were paying. He said the MCH was also contemplating introducing special garbage charges for the houses and commercial properties that failed to pay the tax.

However, he assured the resident welfare associations that the MCH would pay additional amounts to the tax collected and take up developmental works in the same colonies as recommended by the associations. On the success of the self-assessment scheme, he said low rates of taxes would encourage people to pay their taxes properly.

Earlier, Mr. G. Satyanarayana, Chairman and Mr. N.S. Narayana, general secretary of the Confederation, requested the Commissioner not to allow multi-storeyed structures in residential colonies.

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Section  : Southern States
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