Finally, civic body recovers Rs 1.60 cr as rent from milk booths

Rajinder Nagarkoti

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 20

Finally, after a gap of more than 8 years, the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, has recovered outstanding dues of Rs 1.60 crore from Verka/Vita milk booths operating across the city.

In its report recently, the Audit Department had slammed the civic body for losing out a revenue of Rs 1.73 crore due to the non-recovery of rent from Verka/Vita booths.

As many as 104 booths are being run on the land of the corporation.

MC Joint Commissioner Rajiv Gupta said they held a meeting with officials of the Punjab Government and Punjab State Co-operative Milk Producers Federation Limited (Milkfed) authorities recently and thereafter, they paid Rs 1.60 crore to the MC. The remaining amount was related to property tax, which would be settled soon, he said.

The audit report had pointed out, “According to a survey conducted by the MC, 104 milk booths are running on the municipal land in Chandigarh. An amount of Rs 1.73 crore (April 2008 to February 2015) on account of rent is due from the Milkfed.”

For the supply of milk to city residents, several milk booths are functioning in Chandigarh under the Punjab State Co-operative Milk Producers Federation Limited.

The Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) of the Municipal Corporation, at its 199th meeting on August 23, 2010, had resolved that Rs 2,000 will be charged as rent from the allottees of the milk booths.

Earlier, the MC was charging only Rs 1,000 as rent.

The issue had rocked House meeting

In December 2013, the issue of non-recovery of rent from these milk booths had rocked a meeting of the MC House. The issue was raised by a councillor and later by Deputy Mayor Satish Kainth. Thereafter, the then MC Commissioner, Vivek Pratap Singh, had ordered a survey of encroachments by Verka and Vita booths operating on municipal land in the city.