Private hostels in the city will soon come under the scanner as part of measures to cope with mounting garbage piles on roads.
Mayor Saidai S. Duraisamy on Thursday said the Chennai Corporation would identify hostels in the city and collect user charges from private hostels. Mushrooming of illegal hostels in the city was adding to garbage pile-up on many roads, he said.
The Mayor was responding to a question raised by councillor Santhi of ward 113.
Already, marriage halls pay user charges for conservancy operations by the Chennai Corporation, Mr. Duraisamy said. Trade licences are not issued to working women and men’s hostels as norms have not been formulated by the revenue department of Chennai Corporation.
The civic body will collect property tax from such hostels as per the tenant commercial category. Hostel managements will have to pay Rs. 720 per tonne of garbage dumped on the roads.
As many as 40,350 traders have obtained trade licence in the city. The number of new trade licences obtained in 2012-13 is 3,033.
As a number of trade licences have not been renewed, the existing number of licensed traders in the city is estimated at 34,360.
Hostels may soon be brought under the trade licence net after a study.
