Southern States - Kerala   

Hike in building and other taxes on the cards in Kerala

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Oct. 17. The Government is planning to hike the building tax and revise other taxes being collected by local bodies, the Local Administration Minister, Cherkkalam Abdulla, has said.

Releasing the `Urban Policy and Action Plan for Kerala,' Mr. Abdulla told presspersons here today that after1988, the building tax had not been revised. The Cabinet sub-committee was examining the proposals of the Local Administration Department to revise the taxes being collected by local bodies.

He said plastic would be banned in the State from November 1. A statutory order banning plastic would be issued this month.

The Minister said that as per the policy, the Government would constitute an Urban Regulatory Authority to ensure private participation in municipal services, maintain quality of services, and to see that the cost of services was reasonable. The authority, with statutory powers, would be a forum for receiving complaints and suggestions on urban services. Initially, issues relating to the supply of power and water of Thrissur Corporation would be brought under the authority. He said urban areas would be prioritised and interim development plans prepared for the towns which were not being covered under development plans. Traffic improvement and management schemes for these towns would be implemented in a time-bound manner. The 58 statutory towns in the State were classified under five categories based on the present developments and the future economic development potential of these towns.

Kochi city, which attracted substantial industrial activity, Thiruvananthapuram, being the capital and Kozhikode being the nodal point of all districts in the northern region, would be treated as priority cities. Mr. Abdulla said Kochi, being the prime economic mode, deserved the most priority status for convergence of infrastructure. The capital would be considered a special priority region and Kozhikode as the second priority city, he said.

The Minister said that as per the policy, the urban agglomerations of Thrissur, Kannur, Kollam, Alappuzha, Palakkad and Kottayam have been classified under priority three towns. The remaining towns have been grouped under priority four towns depending on their potential for development and economic development capabilities.

He said the Government proposed to introduce a unified legislation on town and country planning with wider provisions for preparation of State Spatial Development Plans, Regional Development Plans, District Development Plans, Urban Development Plans and Special Area Development Plans. An Urban Development Innovation Fund with specific guidelines for selection of projects would be created.

He said urban land management would be made more effective. Indiscriminate conversion of low-lying urban areas should be regulated using policies framed on the basis of scientific studies, the policy said. The Minister said development charges shall be levied on every land transaction, new construction and commercial venture coming up in the project area after the notification. In the cases of land transactions and new constructions, it can be a one-time charge. In the case of commercial ventures, it can be charged annually, the policy said. The floor area ratio permissible for an area shall be based on considerations of the infrastructure availability in the area. Conservation of heritage structures and open space, urban sanitation, solid waste management, sewerage system, and accounting reforms has also been envisaged in the policy.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• Hike in building and other taxes on the cards in Kerala
• Public sector reforms highlighted
• Customs dept. being revamped
• Govt. keen on interacting with Bill Gates
• Santhom expo to open on November 1
• Sena not part of NDA in State: BJP
• Stage set for children's painting contest
• Ban on seafood export units goes
• Yogam rules out any ties with BJP
• Karunakaran-Murali rift to the fore

Copyright © 2002, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu