Rs 10,000 fine on displaying ad at Jaistambh Chowk

Raipur, March 30, 2010

The RMC will impose Rs 10,000 fine from those who will display advertisement at Jaistambh Chowk. A decision in this regard was taken in the municipal’s general body meeting during which the specific proposal was brought by the ruling party as its agenda on Tuesday.

All the corporators agreed that that no social, political or religious organisation should be allowed to display ad at Jaistambh Chowk. Mayor Kiranmayi Nayak said the ad in the squares of the city including Jaistambh Chowk not only looks bad but they also tarnish the image of the municipal corporation.

The corporators also passed the proposal of beautification works of Anupam Garden (Mahaveer Park) at GE Road. The RMC will spend Rs 166.43 lakhs in developing Anupam garden like Gandhi Udyan.

Marriage palaces will have to pay license fee: Mayor

Raipur, March 30, 2010

Mayor Kiranmayi Nayak has informed that the RMC would take license fee from marriage palaces. All those premises which are being rented for marriage purposes should be mandatorily registered with the municipal, she said. Besides, the marriage palaces will also have to renew their license annually, she said. A proposal in this regard was unanimously passed on the second day of general body meeting on Tuesday.

“We are targeting to collect fee from the owners of those marriage palaces who have not taken permission from the RMC and are making hefty amount without paying property tax,” she said.

She pointed out that a majority of marriage palaces charge over Rs one lakh per programme and some even charge from 4-5 lakhs including Hotel Babylon, Pujari Park, etc. However, she informed that except Pujari Park, none of the marriage palaces had taken permission from the RMC.

Nayak informed that the marriage palaces would have to pay license fee equivalent to the 80 percent of their annual property tax. The RMC will also impose special sanitation fee on the marriage palaces for which it has categorised them on the basis of their capacity. The places that have capacity up to 500 people would have to pay Rs 5000 per programme. Similarly, those having capacity of 200-500 people would have to pay Rs 2000 per programme and the small premises with maximum limit of 200 people would have to pay Rs 500.

“All these marriage palaces will have to compulsorily submit the fee of at least 25 bookings with the RMC,” Nayak said.

In addition, the marriage palaces will have to segregate the biodegradable waste and non-degradable waste and if they would not follow the procedures, the RMC will impose fine to the tune of Rs 2500, she said. To make the process of fee recovery smooth, Nayak said the RMC would adopt decentralisation policy and would authorise zone in-charges for the purpose.

On question raised by the BJP and independent corporators that whether the RMC would also charge fee from the private schools and dharamshalas which were also being rented for marriage purposes, Nayak said such places were usually taken by middle-class people and hence, the municipal would not charge any fee from them.

When the leader of the Opposition Subhash Tiwari pointed out that people also raise tents on roads to organise parties and conduct marriages, Nayak said she would not mind imposing fine on such people as there was provision under Section 322 and 323 of RMC Act but in majority of cases, politicians would intervene and rescue the guilty ones using their influence.

Permission fee

Raipur, March 30, 2010

The RMC has decided to take one time permission fee from the banks to the tune of Rs 25,000. The banks will also have to pay Rs 10,000 as renewal fee every year for the period of April 1 to March 31. Mayor Kiranmayi Nayak said that the decision was taken considering the expanding banking sector in the capital and to ensure that the banks provide basic facilities like parking space to its customers. The president of Town Planning and Building Permission department Jaggu Singh Thakur informed that the RMC was authorised to take fee from the banks under Section 133 of Municipal Act. 

‘Each day of general body meeting cost Rs 1 lakh’

Raipur, March 30, 2010

The president of Food, Public Health and Sanitation department Govind Mishra on Tuesday informed that each day of general body meeting cost about Rs one lakh. Irked by the protests and interventions of BJP corporators that caused delay in discussion over the agendas proposed by the ruling party, Mishra urged from the Speaker Sanjay Shrivastava to direct Opposition to maintain decorum in the meeting for its smooth proceedings.

Cong alleges corruption in disputed Kiran bldg issue

BJP gheraoed Speaker, halts proceedings of general body meeting

Raipur, March 30, 2010

The Congress on Tuesday raised the disputed matter of Kiran building in the RMC’s general body meeting and alleged that corruption prevailed in rehabilitation, compensation and lease allotment process. Protesting the allegations leveled by the Congress, the Opposition gheraoed the Speaker demanding apology from the ruling party for linking the names of Chief Minister and other ministers with the issue. The Opposition sat on dharna and started sloganeering against the ruling party. Considering the uproar, the Speaker adjourned the meeting for an hour.

The commotion created in the meeting when the corporator Pramod Dubey was speaking on Kiran building issue. The ruling party raised this matter its agenda to first hold discussion on its eight points and then to pass it unanimously in the meeting. Dubey alleged that inordinate amount was compensated to the affected lease holders as against norms. “The affected people during the road widening process of station road, Telebandha and Choupati did not get any compensation while the affected lease holders of displaced Kiran building received several crores. This indicates double standard posed by former Mayor and RMC administration,” Dubey said.

“In 2005, the CM had sent a compensation proposal for the affected ones from Kiran building to the Collector though Chief Secretary. For this, the Collector constituted a three-member committee comprising Town Planner, Joint Director Town Planning department and Additional Collector. But when the committee put the proposal before the lease holders, they refused to accept it,” Dubey said. “However, later, they agreed on the amended proposal that they would be allowed to construct new shops of equal area they had in the Kiran building. They also got permission to construct another floor as a compensation package,” he said.

“Among the lease holders, the Nainani brothers said they don’t want compensation, but additional land. The Nainani brothers were supposed to receive Rs 16 lakh as compensation, but the then RMC gave them 211 sq ft additional land. The cost of this space was over Rs 1.5 crore,” he said.

“When tenant shopkeepers of Kiran building demanded compensation, the panel decided to provide them shops in the new building. The tenants agreed to pay rent at the rate of Rs 20 per sq ft and on 11 percent rent hike in every three years. The new building is being constructed in about 17,506 sq ft land of SRP office. The space was acquired by the RMC at the rate of Rs 1 per sq ft,” he informed.

“The then Mayor-in-Council (MiC) decided to allot lands to the ten beneficiaries on July 28, 2009 and the RMC sent a proposal to the government. But pertaining to lease deed of one Sando, a petition was filed in the High Court which in turn directed the state government to decide on the issue by January 2010. The government asked the RMC to discuss on eight points of the matter in its general body meeting and to send forward it again after passing the agenda in the meeting,” Dubey informed.

Among the eight points, the government prominently sought clarification from the RMC that the previous MiC had recommended only 5843 sq ft land out of 17,506 sq ft land and there was no mention of remaining area.

The independent corporator Mrityunjay Dubey also said that the RMC administration should lodge FIR against the guilty ones. He said if no one would take initiative, he would himself lodge complaint against the former Mayor and municipal commissioner.

During the meeting, the Congress and independent corporators alleged that the Speaker was biased and was giving more opportunity to the BJP corporators to speak.

Probe panel formed

Raipur, March 30, 2010

On demands of several corporators to constitute a panel to inquire into the disputed issue of Kiran building, Mayor Kiranmayi Nayak announced that five-member panel would be constituted that would comprise Congress corporators Pramod Dubey, Jaggu Singh Thakur, BJP corporators Suryakant Rathore, Sunil Bandre and independent corporator Dinanath Sharma.