Proposals to raise collector rates in Punjab put on back burner

The cash-strapped state government’s attempts to mop up revenue by bringing the collector rates of land in all districts on a par with the existing market prices have been put on hold, at least for the time being.

This is reportedly because of the “negativity” generated towards the ruling party over the now-withdrawn land pooling policy.

Sources in the government have told The Tribune that the decisions on proposals received from deputy commissioners of some districts for increase in the collector rates have been kept in abeyance for the time being.

For example, the proposal sent by the Ludhiana administration to increase the rates by 25-40 per cent is awaiting approval, said an official source in Ludhiana. It is in this district that the intensity of the farmers’ protest against the land pooling policy was the highest.

Official sources in the Bathinda administration have told The Tribune that while the rates have been increased by five per cent, the approval for a further increase in some of the posh areas is awaiting approval from the Revenue Department.

Though the government has increased the collector rates by 5-50 per cent in 12 districts, the proposals sent by administrations of some of the remaining districts to the state Revenue Department have so far not been implemented. The districts where the rates have been increased are Amritsar, Barnala, Fazilka, Faridkot, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Moga, Malerkotla, Pathankot, Ropar, Sangrur and Nawanshahr. In Patiala, these rates had been hiked, up to 100 per cent in some areas, last year, thus leaving no scope for a further upward revision.

In Amritsar, the rates have been increased by 5- 60 per cent. Within the city, the increase is nominal, varying from 5 to 30 per cent, while it is higher in peripheral areas of the district. In Aerocity and DR Enclave, both located in the holy city’s periphery, there has been a 50-60 per cent increase in the rates.

In Jalandhar city, the rates have been increased by five per cent, while the increase is higher in peripheral areas, like Nurmahal, where the rates have been increased by 20 per cent. In Nawanshahr, the rates have gone up by 10-30 per cent, while in Hoshiarpur city, these have increased by 20 per cent.

It may be mentioned that the state government wanted to increase the revenue collection from stamps and registration to Rs 7,000 crore this year, as compared to Rs 5,750 crore earned last year. The idea behind the increase in the rates is to stop the circulation of black money in the real estate business and ensure that the government gets its rightful share of revenue.