Relief over property tax soon, claims BJP chief
Chandigarh BJP president Jatinder Pal Malhotra and Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla have claimed that the residents will soon get relief over the increased property tax rates.
The leaders made this claim after holding a meeting with Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria at the Raj Bhawan today. The delegation comprising Malhotra, Mayor, all BJP councillors and other senior leaders of the party raised the issue of steep hike in the property tax rates at the meeting.
Malhotra said they requested the Governor to roll back the property tax hike. The Governor has given a positive response and they are expecting that an announcement would be made within two or three days, he said, adding that the delegation was sure that the residents will get relief.
The delegation underlined that the property tax hike had led to public outrage and put an unjustified financial burden on the residents.
The hike was previously rejected in the Municipal Corporation’s General House meeting on February 17 amid strong opposition by the elected councillors.
Despite the agenda having been rejected in the House, the Chandigarh Administration went ahead with the tax revision, ignoring the democratic process and elected representatives. The BJP leaders stated that such unilateral actions were unacceptable and had created resentment among the residents.
The delegation submitted a memorandum to the UT Administrator urging him to withdraw the hike.
Malhotra said the BJP was committed to safeguarding the interests of the residents. The hike does not align with the current needs and circumstances of the city’s population. Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla stated that the issue had been raised multiple times within the Municipal Corporation, and today, the party formally put up its concern before the Administrator.
City BJP vice-presidents Ramveer Bhatti and Raj Kishore were also part of the delegation. The leaders claim that Kataria assured them that the matter would be given a serious consideration.
Meanwhile, Malhotra criticised the stand of the Congress on the issue. He said, “A healthy democracy welcomes criticism. But, it should be free from political motives and more focused on working for the public welfare. He said the Congress seems to be solely focused on holding protests, rather than engaging in a developmental dialogue.”
Kataria invites ex-Mayors to discuss MC issues
Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Katraia has invited former Mayors (past 10 years) of Chandigarh to hold discussions over MC issues on Tuesday. Sources said the Governor was likely to seek their suggestions on how to improve the financial condition of the civic body. The meeting is being held at a time when all councillors are opposing the three-fold increase in the property tax rates.
Chandigarh