Various suggestions on mopping up revenues aired at pre-budget meeting chaired by Mayor Shivakumar
Mysore/Mysuru: The Mysuru City Corporation’s (MCC) pre-budget meeting held at the Old Council Hall under the Chairmanship of Mayor Shivakumar yesterday saw former Mayors, ex-Corporators and office-bearers of various trade and other commercial bodies coming up with several suggestions on tax structure, revenue collection and other civic issues that need urgent financing.
The overall message of the meeting to the MCC was to increase its revenues and carry out the civic work in a comprehensive manner and be less dependent on the State Government for funds.
Former Mayor P. Vishwanath suggested that the MCC must identify the sources of revenue while planning projects for the city. Most of the projects announced in the budget every year do not see the light of the day due to lack of funds.
“The Mayor and the Commissioner must go on city rounds from 6.30 am to 8.30 am every day to supervise the works that are being undertaken and this visit will give them a fair idea on how the works are being undertaken. The quality of the works can be examined and corrective measures can be taken up if the quality is compromised,” he said.
He suggested the Mayor to order the development of apps like the Swachhata App to solve the road and drainage problems where citizens can upload photos and text on the app seeking remedial measures.
Paltry rent on properties
Uday Kumar of Contractors Association drew the attention of the meeting and said that the MCC must raise rents on its properties. Properties that have been given on low rent to the tenants are handed over to others for more rent and many tenants are making huge profits — Devaraja Market for example where tenants have sub-rented the shops for higher rents after obtaining them for cheap rents from the MCC.
Also, many corner buildings and commercial complexes across the city have given faulty measurements of their building width to escape taxes. Each building, especially the corner ones and those standing on a vast area must be re-measured and the tax rates have to be fixed accordingly, he said.
Observing that most of the stalls in Devaraja Market have been rented out by original allottees, he opined that MCC had failed in securing its properties.
Proper property audit
Former Mayor Sandesh Swamy suggested a proper audit of the exact number of commercial complexes, residential houses and vacant sites within the MCC limits to prevent revenue pilferage. Taxes must be levied from revenue layouts as most of the areas have been excluded from the tax ambit though the MCC was providing civic facilities to the residents, he noted.
Former Mayor Purushotham alleged that the MCC Zonal Offices have become a centre for corruption as the public have to pay bribes even to avail a small service. He also suggested to bring all the revenue layouts in the tax bracket and levy double tax. He said it is important to collect property tax in revenue layouts as this will help in augmentation of revenues. He stressed on the need for ending confusions over online tax payment system and eliminating glitches.
Former Deputy Mayor Mahadevamma urged the authorities to issue Khata for the property ownership to the residents of Kurubarahalli Survey Numbers and also sanction plan approval. There is a need to clean up the many vacant sites in the area.
‘A-Khata’ and ‘B-Khata’
Former Mayor B.L. Bhyrappa urged the MCC to follow the Bengaluru model where the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has the system of ‘A Register’ and ‘B Register’ (A-Khata and B-Khata) for properties within Bengaluru city limits and for properties beyond the city limits.
The ‘B-Khata’ property tax will be applicable for properties that do not fall under the jurisdiction of MCC. These properties did not pay taxes despite enjoying all civic amenities from MCC. The ‘A-Khata’ and ‘B-Khata’ certify the ownership of a property for tax purposes. While the ‘A-Khata’ lists legal properties, ‘B-Khata’ lists illegal/ semi-legal properties, he noted.
Former Mayors B.K. Prakash, Ayub Khan, Arif Hussain; former Deputy Mayors Shanthakumari and Pushpavalli, too gave their suggestions on revenue collection. Deputy Mayor Dr. G. Roopa, MCC Commissioner G. Lakshmikantha Reddy, Officers Roopa, M.K. Savitha, Mahesh and Suvarna were present.
“The Mayor and the Commissioner must go on city rounds from 6.30 am to 8.30 am every day to supervise the works that are being undertaken and this visit will give them a fair idea on how the works are being undertaken”
What a stupid suggestion! The MC for example, will be in the bed , drunk. He is a Andhra Reddy, and these Reddys are fond of alcohol.
These ex-mayors, who were once corrupt villains.
It is not a secret that hundreds of commercial properties and private houses large in sizes with gardens, all owned by the Keralite crime gangs those who use Wayanad-Nanjangud-Mysore corridor to transfer gold, smuggled from the Gulf States into Kerala airports to Mysore; they want to expand this smuggling operation through Mysore airport, when it is ready to receive the medium-haul A320/737 passenger jets from non-stop flights from the UAE, which Narendra Modi promised them
These Keralite crime gangs own massive commercial properties which do not appear in the MCC register , because of the hefty bribes they pay to the MC and other municipal officials. The district minister too rumoured to be involved in this scam.
The above Keralite crime bosses also operate the ever increasing Hawala channel money operations-illegal operation to launder money in Mysore, and have the Mysore police officials in their pockets too. They also have laundered this illegal money into buying commercial and private properties in Mysore, which also do not appear in the MCC property register.
The hiking of rents etc.. hence are only for those registered properties which do not bring enough money.
Lastly, why do you think that the last Mysore Police commissioner who boasted in a press conference that the armed robbery to a jewellery store was caught last year soon, but did not mention about their leader who escaped?
Yes, it is the power of money changing hands!!
That has been the story in independent India for decades.
Kengal Hanumanthaiah, the CM in 1950s, started this money grabbing scam, by pocketing crores in the construction of the Vidhana Soudha, in Banaglore, by warding the contracts to his friends. His friends in the enquiry commission which took place later cleared him!! That was within 8 years of independence!!
I have 2 neighbours who live in large bungalows with large gardens. They are not Kannadigas. They arrived in Mysore 5 years ago, and constructed these bungalows. They seem friends as they are found to be together , presumably running a joint business. They have German made cars and a few 4-wheelers which look like the land rovers.
My friend at the MCC who works in the commercial property rent and tax wing, got interested in them, and after checking out found that their business has 2 buildings in the Irwin Road, and 2 buildings near Mysore Airport with a warehouse behind them. But, the commercial property database in the MCC has no records of the them, and his attempt to draw attention to this anomaly was rebuffed by his unit head, who also warned him to focus on properties on the database only. My friend suspects, there could be hundreds of such unrecorded commercial properties, particularly in the fast developing area near Mysore airport.
The loss of taxes must be huge for the MCC. But then, these are very rich men, wielding enormous influence at the ministerial level.