Staff Reporter
Hike more than 500 per cent in most cases
Sangareddy: A. Manamma of Nalsabgadda received her revised municipal tax notice on Friday for Rs. 20,990. Earlier she used to pay a tax of Rs. 330 for the Mysore-tiled house with a plinth area of 1840 square feet.
Another resident received a notice to cough down Rs. 11,517 in place of Rs. 196 as per the new revised house tax regime being implemented all over the state from August.
Notices slapped
These notices slapped on the residents in the municipal area here resulted in large-scale resentment, as the hike in tax is more than 500 per cent in most of the cases. The State Government, which expects to raise its income to almost Rs. 250 crore through the GO MS 650, has earlier allowed the municipalities to fix a rate basing on local needs. Two orders numbered 511 and 512 issued in the month of September 2006 left the discretion to the municipalities. Municipal councillors here opine that the Government has simply implemented its earlier plan, which it kept in abeyance due to Corporation elections.
Special meeting
B. Mallesh, a councillor here, told The Hindu that the demand for tax was only Rs. 96 lakh in 2002 and now the municipal authorities raised it to Rs. 3 crore in the month of March itself, clearing way for the new revised rates.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) Medak unit, which vehemently opposed the hike in taxes, demanded that the Government should pay back Rs. 350 crore it owed to different municipalities in the state. CPI (M) demanded the municipal chairman to convene a special meeting immediately to discuss the impact of the new tax regime. Councillors belonging to TDP, TRS and BJP pointed out that the new taxes don’t match the service provided by the municipality.
No drinking water
They said that the town has no drinking water supply to 60 percent of the municipal area, a defunct drainage system and scanty roads in 70 percent of the town.
