KDMC on property tax

The central suburbs of Mumbai are witnessing change as civic body commissioners are displaying positive aggression in matters of public interest. While Thane’s municipal commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal ordered demolition of legal and illegal structures to unclog & clear the station road area, in a fresh move, KDMC’s commissioner E Ravindran took property tax defaulters to task by attaching their properties last week.

On March 8, the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) sealed offices of highest property tax evaders in the city which include prominent names like Roop Sangam shop, theaters at SM5 mall, JP resort and even the office of Poddar Developers. They have defaulted on payment of property tax not only for the year 2015-2016 but for past many years.

“In the past, these defaulters got away without paying their dues as the earlier municipal commissioners refrained from taking strict action. But now, we have strict orders to seal and auction the properties of tax evaders,” said a KDMC official who refused to be named adding that the current commissioner E Ravindran spares nobody and this was amply evident during the demolition drive near Kalyan station for road widening in January this year.

The outstanding amount of unpaid tax for each of the above defaulter is JP resort Rs10.16 crore, SM 5 theaters Rs. 2.58 crore, Roop Sangam shop Rs. 70 lac and Poddar Developers Rs. 89, 22,792. KDMC will auction the properties confiscated from tax evaders this week. “If they pay off their dues along with penalty, their properties will be unsealed,” added the official.

KDMC new Property Tax collection method

While it is the end of 2015 for others, it’s the beginning of property tax collection regime for the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation. The KDMC usually commences its property tax collection in January – February every year, however this time it has decided to start the drive early to ensure that tax payers clear their dues.

In a novel move, the civic body has decided to seize priced possessions of those who prefer to look the other way round when it comes to pay their property taxes. Evasive tax payers will not only lose costly household items but also their homes if they fail to pay property tax this year to the KDMC.

“If people fail to clear off their property dues, we will confiscate their household items like refrigerator, TV and washing machine,” said Anil Lad, Assessor and Collector of Taxes, KDMC. “There is a provision in the law to do so and we will be doing it literally this time,” he added.

Besides, if the tax liability is very high, they will seal the offender’s flat and later auction it to recover the dues.

“In 2013 and 2014, an Abhay Yojana was launched by the KDMC where people could pay their taxes and penalty on it was abolished,” said Lad. ”this time also, people are hoping for the same scheme so that they can forgo the penalty and interest. However, this will not happen,” he said adding that the abolition of octroi and LBT has resulted in huge financial crunch for the corporation.

If this drive is successful, KDMC plans to use the same strategy in water tax collection also.

Property Tax

This time Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) is going to be tuff on property as well as water tax offenders because now corporations planning to release the list of property tax evaders in public. With a need to meet the fiscal deficit now municipal corporations is planning to take rough steps against those who have not cleared their property tax. However; The KDMC (Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation) is ready to confiscate private belongings such as; fridge, television and washing machines and the TMC (Thane Municipal Corporation) has decided to make the names of property tax defaulters public.

According to Sanjeev Jaiswal, The Chief of TMC, “Soon we will release the list in public and it will contain the name of all those who have not cleared their property tax and it will applicable on those whose tax billing amounts are running in lakhs and even crores because from past many years such people haven’t filled their taxes”. The more he added that the water connection of water tax defaulters will be disconnected till the payment of bills. There are number of citizens who avoid paying their water and property tax and now corporation is ready to make tough decisions.

For the fiscal year 2015-16, the TMC has set the target of Rs 350 crore only through the property tax collection. According to KDMC officials, “It could be difficult time for tax defaulters because there are many defaulters who are waiting for the amnesty schemes of KDMC to pay the taxes, where they can get away without paying the penalty on late tax payments. The KDMC has announced that they could be confiscate household belongings of property tax defaulters.

Guardian minister_Thane_Ekanath Shinde

This project will need more than Rs. 30, 000 crore and it will be prepared on the model of German technology. After construction and execution, this road will cut the travel time by 80 minutes (from 90 minutes to 10 minutes). It is expected that this tunnel will deviate from Tikujiniwadi to Ghodbunder Road and it will cover more than 15 kms under the ground through Yeoor and Sanjay Gandhi National Park. It will also connect the WEH (Western Express Highway) at Borivli as currently, Thane and Borivali, which is located in North Mumbai are separated by chain of hills (most of the chain of hills are the part of the national park).

Eknath Shinde, who is Guardian minister for Thane and the minister for Public Works Department (PWD), announced that Maharashtra State Government is planning to enhance the connectivity of Thane with rest of the Mumbai. Shinde has announced a special six lane underground road which will connect Thane and Borivali and apart from that he has also received an approval for other flyover projects within the Thane region and for that Maharashtra State Government has granted Rs 517 crores. He also stated that roads are the important part of infrastructure as well as for the progress of city, but it is also essential to focus on the maintenance of road services. The more he added that in future the regions like; Kasarvadavli, Bhayanderpada, Anandnagar, and Mulund Toll Naka will have the mushrooming flyovers, which will help people to travel in less time as well as they will help to decrease the traffic issues.

Now MSRDC (Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation) is ready with preliminary reports and they have appointed consultant to execute the project. Apart from that State Government of Maharashtra, has also approved the widening of Kalyan – Shil road and KDMC road (Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation) also needs the maintenance work.

Image credits: ABP Maza

KDMC (Kalyan – Dombivli Municipal Corporation) elections are scheduled for the month of October 2015. On last Friday, KDMC declared a list of reserve wards, which also indicated that 27 new villages are in the list. However; for the demarcation of wards KDMC used the census data of 2011. But story doesn’t end here because NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) has opposed and demands that new wards in these villages should be formed and after that they should be involved in the reserved category.

It is expected that elections of KMDC can be the exciting event as recently Kalyan – Dombivli Municipal Corporation has included 27 villages in the jurisdiction. Upcoming KMDC elections are gaining controversy and fueling more news after the declaration of new wards under the reserved category. According to reports, there are 50 per cent reservations for women in each ward. As per the statement of Pramod Indurao, VP of NCP, Maharastra, “KMDC has declared reserved wards without any demarcation of the wards. We are opposing the new list of KMDC and soon we are planning to meet the state election commission”.

According to census data of 2011, the population of Kalyan and Dombivli is about 15, 18,762 lakh and there are total 107 seats in the Kalyan – Dombivli Municipal Corporation. With the inclusion of new wards now total number of seat are 122, but our party believes that there should be more seats. Pramod Indurao added that, “There should be at-least 140 seats for 140 wards, as KMDC are using the old census data, so there are need to include current population as well for the ward demarcation”. Out of total 122 seats, 12 seats are reserved for the SC (Scheduled Caste) and 3 seats are reserved for the ST (Scheduled Tribes). And rest 74 seats are open seats and 33 seats are for OBCs. However; there are 50 per cent reservations for women in each ward.

As per the officials of KMDC, “We have used the census data of 2011 for the ward demarcation, The elections will be held as per the order of state election commissions and we have done the ward demarcation according to that. If NCP have any objection on the number of reserved seats in elections, so they can raise their complaint with EC till 10^th August 2015”.

Image credits_DNA

Last week July 28, 2015  after 13 hours of rescue operation, state authorities and NDRF team pulled out nine dead bodies, and rescued 15 people from the debris of a two-storey building, which is located in Thakurli and collapsed due to heavy rain.

According to recent reports, all 15 people who were rescued, excluding 10 injured people are treated at Shastrinagar civic hospital at Dombivli and in two other private hospitals. However; after the accident the Dombivli police registered a complaint as well as case against the building owners; Dropadabai Sakaram Patil as well as her two sons Sharad Sakaram Patil and Ramdas Sakaram Patil. The police stated that owners are absconding since the incident and in past they were repeatedly neglecting the notices from the KDMC (Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation). Whereas; KDMC authorities stated that since 2009 we have declared that building as dangerous building and in last five years we have sent notice more than five times about the concern of building safety and they have also recommended to re-check the  status of the building with skilled architects for repairing or demolish it. But every time owner neglected the notices, stated SB Shivarkar, who is senior police inspector associated with Dombivli police station.

All the three owners have been booked under Section 338 for causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others, Section 34 for common intention and Section 304 for punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder of Indian penal code. Meanwhile the team of NDRF (National Disaster Rescue Force) and team of KDMC (Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation) jointly conducted the rescue operation, however; as per the statement of Sudhakar Kulkarni, fire officer at KMDC, “At 1 PM we have ended the rescue operation and later again we have started the demolishing the rest of the building”. Constructed in 1972, more than 25 families were living in Matrukrupa building as there were 26 flats in the building, out of which 16 collapsed on Tuesday night. Before five years, building was declared unsafe and from past many years KDMC has been sending notices to the owners to vacate it, but always they refused to do same.

Hirday Narayan Yadav, 45 years old resident of building had a very narrow escape with his family. He stated that we lived at ground floor and just before collapse, I saw windows and doors are shaking and I immediately asked my family members to vacate the place, however; I have also alerted others. And as soon as we ran out from building, the staircase collapsed and other people stuck on the building’s Ist and IInd floor. According to Ishwaran, another resident of building, “Me and my daughter rescued, but my husband could not be saved”. After the end of rescue operation, immediately,  KDMC began demolishing the building, however; there were group of people who were protesting by saying that they didn’t get opportunity to collect their belongings, we will not stop you from demolishing, but first let-us collect our belongings, which is pretty essential for us”.

Apart from that the pother people who were living nearby, also asked to vacate their flats because of safety reasons, however; the Vinayak Pandey, KDMC ward officer stated that Its essential for us to demolish the entire building because of safety reasons”. However; Kiran Surose, Kalyan tehsildar added that we have sent a proposal to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to provide compensation to the victims.

Kalyan based developers

To provide relief to Kalyan based real estate developers, on Tuesday Bombay HC modify its order and give a nod for five categories to start the construction. In the hearing process, the bench was headed by Justice Naresh Patil as on April 13 he stayed all the latest construction permission in the region of Kalyan and Dombivli by KDMC (Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation) after hearing the application by few of the builders, who were saying that approval could be sought and it should be for those projects which are redevelopment proposals because tenants have already vacated the premises.

Few builders also requested to give the approval to those projects which are on the demolished places and construction is underway which is partial completed or about to complete. But in the whole process judges clarified that all the new construction are not for sanction even in those one for those which they have received the IOD, but no commencement certificate will be issued till the further orders. This Bombay HC order comes in the PIL which was filled by K D Gokhale and other in 2009 to highlight the plan of waste treatment plan lying in limbo for the duration of 15 years for want of sanction. However; the Bombay HC has expressed its anguish at the lack of paper planning which is rapidly expanding suburb.

A bunch of real estate developers such as; Shanklesha Construction, S D Shitole and Patel Developers had intervened the counsel of Ravi Kadam said permission for their own ongoing projects ought to be considered. Whereas; on Tuesday, Ashutosh Kumbhakoni, counsel for KDMC (Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation), stated that various steps taken since April 13, 2015 in order to manage the proper waste management The more he added that two global tenders were issued for the permission of “Swiss challenge method” of issuing tenders. The Bombay HC asked why there was no IAS available as municipal commissioner for KDMC (Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation). Whereas; Kumbhokoni stated that the process of appointment is underway.

Kalyan based real estate developer moved to Bombay HC

A one of the Top most Real Estate Developer from Kalyan, Mumbai where construction is on its boom in recent years, has moved to Bombay High Court to get the permission to continue with few of the new residential and commercial projects . In present, Bombay HC has put the stay on all the new construction in Kalyan area.

On April 13, 2015 the Bombay HC had put the stay on new construction permission, until local Municipal Corporation clears the issue of solid waste management which is pending from very long time. On the hearing of PIL, which were filled by KD Gokhale and few others in Bombay HC in the year 2009, to highlight the plan to setup a solid waste management treatment plan for 15 years. In the process of hearing, a bench of Justice V L Achliya and Justice N H Patil ordered the MPCB (Maharashtra Pollution Control Board) to bring the civic officials to book and get the KDMC (Kalyan Dombivli Muncipal Corportaion) and MMRDA on one platform to resolve the issue of solid waste management.

However; the Tycoons Avanti Projects LLP, and its partner Shrikant D Shitole, sought to intervene the whole hearing procedure in the PIL which was scheduled on Tuesday. S D Shitole, who is the real estate developer in the fastest growing Kalyan region from last 14 years, pointed out that Bombay HC is in effect by putting the whole development process and end users in the limbo without any fault. The plea is all about to direct the KMDC to consider his application which was submitted on the date October 2104 on merits and issue of commencement of certification.

A projects at Godrej Hill is about to complete, the his plea added that one more redevelopment agreement with Chikanghar Shantidhoot Co orerative Society for the low and middle class income group is ready to pay the stamp duty of Rs. 1.6 crore and it is pending while it is situated just opposite to Birla College where more than 180 tenants had been shifted in last two years of duration. Whereas; for another project Shitole stated that he paid more than Rs. 33.44 crore FSI as premium to MHADA in the month of November 2014. Bombay HC, stated that “Urbanization calls for a planned approach”.

According to recent data of real estate sector it’s clear that KDMC is an upcoming urban area in Mumbai. If corporation will continue to sanction the construction projects in the area without any impact assessments surveys, so it would be the additional burden on current infrastructure which is well develop and suitable for current situation, the bench of Justice said. However; the garbage waste is bound to increase as per the increase in the projects of construction. And it’s the duty of municipal authorities to make and change the necessary changes in infrastructure to get all the desired civic amenities which is available for their citizens. There should be an action plan chalked out by the authorities of corporation as we have noticed that issue has not been taken seriously by appreciate authorities and it shows that how a grim situation has emerged today.