Vehicle registration becomes costlier
The Chandigarh Administration will be registering vehicle at the ex-showroom price. Until now, vehicles are being registered at the actual invoice after discounts. Around 2,000 vehicles are sold every month in the city. There are 52 automobile selling outlets. The administration earns revenue of C600 crore annually in the form of taxes from car sales. The Registering and Licensing Authority charges 6 per cent of the cost of vehicles in the price tag of up to C20 lakh as registration fee. Vehicles costing more than C20 lakh draws registration fee of 8 per cent. The decision of registering the vehicles at ex-showroom price has been taken to curb malpractice of undeplaying invoice receipts.
Helmets must for women riding two-wheelers
Helmets are now mandatory for women traveling on two-wheelers in the city. Only Sikh women wearing turbans are exempted from the order. Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator VP Singh Badnore gave his nod to this proposal. Subsequently, the notification in this regard was issued on Friday. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the Chandigarh administration to check accidents involving two-wheeler women riders. The Shiromani Akali Dal and a few other stakeholders had demanded exemption for all Sikh women, but a majority of the residents and associations supported the draft notification making helmet mandatory for all.
New driving test system for Chandigarh
A new camera-based innovative driving testing system (IDTS) has been introduced by the Registering and Licensing Authority at Children’s Traffic Park in Sector 23. Fifty sensors are also installed along the 700-metre track. The applicants will be awarded marks automatically without human interference on the basis of their performance. The system will ensure that only people with sound knowledge of traffic rules and adequate driving skill get driving licence.
Prompt transfer of leased property
The Chandigarh Administration has decided to allow transfer of leasehold flats to allottees within two weeks. From now on, an allottee can register the flat in his or her name and can further sell the flat at the market price. So far, flats were allotted on leasehold basis for a period of 99 years. About 10,000 such flat owners will benefit from the new rule. There are about 15,000 flats in 115 group housing societies at Sector 48, 49, 50 and 51 in the city. In this overall quota, flats of 35 societies were on freehold and the rest put on lease.
Notices await property tax defaulters
The Municipal Corporation will be sending attachment notices to owners of commercial and industrial properties who default in paying property tax. The corporation has prepared a list of over 50 such defaulters, who would be served notices within a week in the first phase during the current financial year. Last year, it recovered about C24 crore after serving notices to the defaulters. The corporation hopes to increase the amount of property tax during the current fiscal.
Harpreet Bajwa
Our correspondent in Chandigarh
hsbajwa73@gmail.com