Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Over two months after Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) council approved a hike in property tax and garbage utility charges, Congress activists laid a seize to civic body's headquarters, demanding to retract the decision.
Police had to resort to lathi-charge and used water cannon to disperse the activists as they tried to enter into the IMC premises.
Some activists received minor injuries in the force used by police.
The IMC’s council meeting called for budget 2023-24 was held in the last week of April. In the council meeting, Pushyamitra Bhargav had proposed to change in rate zone of colonies.
He had proposed to increase up to 40 per cent increase in property tax and up to 30 per cent increase in garbage utility chares in 531 colonies which have been developed completely. Besides, the building permission charges were also hiked.
The IMC council had approved the proposal. More than two months after the approval, Congress activists, in large numbers, led by MLAs Jitu Patwari, Sanjay Shukla and Congress corporators reached IMC headquarters in large number and protested against change in the rate zone.
Police had put barricades at the main entrance of IMC for ensuring that the protestors do not gain entry inside the premises.
Patiwari and Shukla sat on the barricades and addressed the protesting activists. The protestors demanded that the Mayor should come out of the IMC premises and accept their memorandum.
The Mayor did not come out after which the protestors tried to force entry inside the IMC premises prompting police to use force.
Police resorted to mild lathicharge and used water canoons to diperse the protesting activists.
After a gap of several years, Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) proposed a hike in property tax in 531 colonies, which have been developed completely, in its annual budget for 2023-24.
The IMC has also proposed to increase garbage fees in the same proportion in these colonies. Besides, it also proposed to increase Narmada capital in new colonies.
While laying focus on clean, green, solar, digital and yoga city and vehicular traffic management, Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav presented its first IMC budget of Rs 7473 crore. With 5 per cent reserve fund, the total deficit is estimated to be Rs 88 crore. The income in the fiscal has been estimated at Rs 7341 crore.
In his budget speech, Bhargav said, “We have made six points base of this budget viz Clean, Digital, Green, Solar, Yoga City and traffic management.”
While the IMC did not impose any new tax but it proposed to increase property tax and garbage utility charges in as many as 531 colonies in the city. The changes have been proposed citing improvements in infrastructure and other facilities in these colonies.
Protest Was A Political Stunt, Says Mayor
Dubbing it a political stunt in the assembly election year, the Mayor said that the protest by Congress was nothing but a show off and was done to balance out the groupism in the party.
“Indore is the cleanest city and we are moving ahead towards becoming solar and digital city. The protest was nothing but a show off which is against the political diginity and culture of Indore,” he said.
He alleged that Congress leaders and husbands of Congress coporators bully IMC employees and officials every now and then which is not ethiocs of Indore.
