No amenities no tax, says Abhyudaya

No amenities no tax, says Abhyudaya

Though the ward alone generates nearly Rs 5 crore revenue per year through property tax, it cries for basic amenities.

Deccan Herald

Vexed by the lackadaisical attitude of Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP), residents of Padmanabhanagar in Bangalore have decided to launch a ‘no tax’ strike shortly.

The residents who have come together under the banner ‘Abhyudaya’ are planning to voluntarily default the payment of property tax to BMP, protesting what they term as the ‘thick-skinned’ attitude of BMP in providing better amenities to residents.

5 crore revenue

Abhyudaya is an umbrella organisation for 30 residents’ welfare associations in Padmanabhanagar, which is the largest ward of the BMP. The ward alone generates nearly Rs 5 crore revenue per year through property tax.

As per the survey conducted by the members, who are mostly senior citizens, of the total 156 kms road network in the ward, over 87 kms is mud road and only 69 kms are asphalted. The asphalted road too is in a bad shape. It was also found that over 50 per cent of the ward does not have drinking water and underground drainage connections.

Secretary Abhyudaya Mr Mukund told Deccan Herald that the ward has been getting an average of Rs 50 lakh under Programme of Works (POW) in the last four year, despite the ward contributing nearly Rs 5 crore revenue.

Abandoned work

The survey also revealed that BMP’s black topping project has come to a grinding halt in the entire ward. “The work is stopped nearly two months ago. The contractor has abandoned the work at the metalling stage, making it impossible to ride,” he added.

Similarly, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board’s (BWSSB) package work undertaken to provide individual drinking water connections in 27 new BMP wards, including Padmanabhanagar, is yet to be completed.

Plea goes unheard

According to Abhyudaya, BWSSB has not commissioned the service though supply lines are laid long ago. “Several repersentations to BWSSB in this regard have fallen on deaf ears,” Mr Mukund said.