Trinamool Congress government passes Bill to provide property tax exemption in city

KOLKATA: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2014 was today passed in the West Bengal Assembly for exemption from property tax of those residential buildings and manner of their maintenance, which will add to the aesthetic beauty of the city.

Speaking on the Bill, state's Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said there was nothing new in the Bill, but some incentives to the residents, so that they could be part of the state government's beautification programme of the city.

People should be assured that the state government stands by them to encourage their welfare and various development activities, he said.

With various beautification programmes undertaken by the state government, the city, which was once described as a dying one, was fast developing as a living city, Hakim said.

The Bill would be for exemption from property tax on pond, tank and water bodies, provided they are preserved by the owner to maintain ecological balance of the locality.

The Bill would provide for constitution of a Fast Track Settlement Committee for disposal of certain proposals, the Minister said, adding, it would also help introduce online application for sanction of building plans, besides regularising minor unauthorised erection as per regulation by the KMC