CHENNAI: In response to the Madras High Court’s direction to the Commissioner of Greater Chennai Corporation to inform the court when the property tax would be revised, the Commissioner, on Monday, filed an additional counter affidavit, stating that the revision was not made to avoid disparity and discrepancies in the assessment of areas that were merged with the Greater Chennai Corporation in 2011.
The High Court earlier this month pulled up the city Corporation Commissioner for not revising the property tax for several years despite having the power to do so and thereby, causing heavy losses to its exchequer. The counter affidavit stated that as the Corporation was expanded from 174 sq.m. to 426 sq.m. as per the provisions of the Tamil Nadu District Municipalities Act, 1920 and Tamil Nadu Village Panchayat Act, 1994 the basic property tax rates and calculation procedures had been fixed by the councils of the respective erstwhile local bodies.
Hence, after the merger, there were tax differences due to different basic rates and calculation procedures, between the core city and newly added areas, the counter affidavit said, adding that a committee was constituted to suggest the basic rates and to rationalise the property tax. It further added that it was decided that revision of property tax would be put on hold since a few extended municipalities, that had revised property rates in 2008 paid higher taxes than core Chennai area whereas some annexed village panchayats paid low property taxes.
When the matter came up for hearing on Monday, the Judge N Kirubakaran, who passed the interim order on August 9 to file an affidavit, directed the counsel for corporation to file details on other corporations such as Tiruchy and Madurai while also filing the recommendations of the said committee, and posted the matter for further hearing on Wednesday.
One more PIL to regulate idol Immersion
Chennai: One more PIL has been filed in the Madras High Court to regulate installation of Vinayaka idols in public places, the processions and immersing them. When the PIL from advocate M Subash of George Town area came up for hearing on Monday, a division Bench of Justices M Sathyanarayanan and M Sundar clubbed it with another similar PIL and posted it for August 23. The petitioner stated that using security personnel and maintaining law and order would be very challenging if the idols were permitted to be kept for 10 to 12 days, and wanted that restricted. Bakrid was on September 2, the petitioner stated. Despite strict orders that idols should be made of clay, they were being made of Plaster-of-Paris and chemical paints and immersed in water bodies causing serious pollution, he contended and prayed the court to frame guidelines.
Nod to Rajini’s daughter to challenge ashram school closure
Chennai: The Madras High Court has permitted Aisharya, daughter of superstar Rajinikanth and wife of actor and director Dhanush to file a civil suit to challenge the action of the owner of the premises in Guindy where her mother Latha Rajinikanth was running a school. When her counsel made a mention on Monday, Justice CV Karthikeyan granted the permission to file the suit, on Tuesday. The school/ashram was run by Rahavendra Education Society. Aiswarya is its secretary. The premises owner locked the entrance of the school last week. Non-payment of enhanced rent was said to be the reason. Besides praying for a direction to the property owner to open the premises, Aiswarya demanded D5 crore as damages and another D1 crore for locking the school premises illegally.