Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

Corporation’s move to increase Property Tax opposed

COIMBATORE: Coimbatore Corporation councillors belonging to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) staged a demonstration near the Council hall on Monday to oppose the civic body’s move to increase Property Tax rates, following a Government order.

The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam also opposed the move. A resolution to record the Government order in the Council could not be taken up in the Council as the meeting was put off to March 27.

Led by the leaders of the parties in the Council, C. Padmanabhan (CPI-M) and K. Purushothaman (CPI), the members said that the tax increase would place a very huge burden on the people. They also called for an immediate start to development works in the over 500 newly regularised layouts.

Later, Mr. Padmanbhan raised the issue of the layouts in the Council. He asked Mayor R. Venkatachalam why the Corporation was not taking up the work of providing roads in the layouts.

“The people are upset at the Corporation over the basic amenities not being provided in spite of the layouts being regularised quite some time ago. At least 30 of the 72 councillors are affected by this. We are not able to face the people living in these layouts.”

Councillors C. Sivakami of Ward 17 and E. Ramamoorthi of Ward 15 staged a sit-in at the Council to demand development works in such layouts in their wards.

The councillors, both of them members of the CPI (M), were anguished over the condition of the roads in the layouts. Ms. Sivakami said the condition of the roads in these layouts at Avarampalayam in her ward, was pathetic.

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