Councillors propose steps to boost Chandigarh civic body revenue

During the MC House meeting today, councillors cutting across party lines suggested ways to fill the coffers of the civic body.

BJP councillor Saurabh Joshi said there was a need for a legal review of the MC Act and emphasised that the UT Administration was required to transfer all or part of revenue from stamp duty, electricity duty, entertainment fee and road tax to the MC. He also demanded the presentation of a white paper detailing the expenses incurred on the Chandigarh Smart City projects at the next House meeting to address financial “leakages.”

Congress councillor Gurbax Rawat urged for the restoration of the service tax rebate. She argued that the MC was entitled to a share of profits from the Registration and Licensing Authority (RLA) if the UT couldn’t transfer its operations to the MC. “The MC maintains the city roads, but the UT retains both road tax and RLA profits,” she pointed out.

Senior Deputy Mayor Kuljeet Singh suggested renting out the vacant properties of the MC across the city and in villages to generate additional revenue.

Congress councillor Gurpreet Gabi recommended stringent action against water bill defaulters and proposed selling some of the MC properties as a short-term measure to alleviate financial stress.

AAP councillor Yogesh Dhingra proposed discontinuing booking fee discounts for community centres for individuals who can afford to pay the full amount.

Congress councillor Taruna Mehta called for a revision of the advertisement policy. She suggested that the MC should earn revenue from advertisements on roundabouts, public transport, bus shelters and signage outside commercial establishments.

Leader of the Opposition Kanwarjeet Rana recommended cancelling the licences of vendors who failed to pay their dues. He also expressed BJP’s willingness to join councillors from all parties in meeting with the UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria to seek special financial aid to restart pending projects.