Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said the State government is seriously considering a revisit, including temporary suspension, of the floor area-based property tax assessment in the face of widespread complaints.
He, however, added that a decision was yet to be taken while responding to a grievance raised at an interactive session with Non-Resident Keralites (NoRKs) at the Global NRK Meet here on Friday.
Mr. Chandy also accepted a suggestion to open an education cell of NoRKA Roots in association with the Higher Education Department to advise the children of expatriates on education possibilities and openings. Rejecting a comparison drawn between the government’s proposed Air Kerala project with that of the present state of the KSRTC, Mr. Chandy said the airline project would emerge more similar to the highly successful Kochi international airport, which has been entrusted with taking the project forward.
Intra-State service
The government was considering the possibility of operating intra-State domestic services using a smaller aircraft to comply with the mandatory requisition of five years’ domestic service for launching international services. NoRKA Minister K.C. Joseph said the Cabinet had decided to enhance the age limit for applying for pension by NoRKs from 55 to 60 years. Mr. Chandy said the Mysore-Nilambur rail line was a priority to the State and had taken up the matter with the Railway Ministry.
