Mysore/Mysuru: Former Mayor Sandesh Swamy has urged Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) to introduce ‘One Time Settlement Scheme’ for the benefit of property tax payers.

He was addressing media persons at Patrakarthara Bhavana in the city recently.

Swamy, also a BJP leader said “Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has introduced One Time Settlement Scheme for the benefit of those owing property tax arrears till July 31, 2024. With Mysuru being the second largest city of the State, the new system should be extended to the city too, that would also boost the revenue of City Corporation.”

Forty percent of the property owners are still not paying tax in the city, that is largely due to the rise in number of illegally developed residential layouts in MCC limits. The assurance to bring Revenue Layouts under Akrama-Sakrama Scheme remains on papers still and the State Government has failed to provide relief to the residents of such layouts to lead a life of content, alleged Swamy.

Had Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) discharged its duties of providing sites and houses to the beneficiaries, the illegal layouts would not have mushroomed in the city. Such unauthorised layouts are still coming up in Narasimharaja (NR) Assembly Constituency and surprisingly both MCC and MUDA are not acting against them, Swamy alleged further.

“Earlier, when I was MCC Mayor, the Council had approved to collect single tax from the dwellers of illegal layouts in the year 2010-11, against the Government’s decision to impose double tax on them. The decision to collect single tax was taken in the interest of these dwellers, who mostly belonged to economically weaker classes and middle class families. However, the Government didn’t give its consent to collecting single tax, so also for the implementation of Akrama-Sakrama Scheme,” said Swamy.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should take steps towards bringing illegal layouts under Akrama-Sakrama and also implement One Time Settlement Scheme for property tax payers, he demanded.

BJP leaders Murali, Bhanuprakash, Padmanabh and Smart Manju were present at the press meet.