BENGALURU: The BBMP has collected more than `1,408 crore as property tax till date this fiscal, which is the highest so far, said Commissioner M Lakshminarayana on Wednesday.
“With four more months left in this financial year, we are expecting to collect another `300 crore,” he said at the council meeting. Cutting across party lines, members had alleged that the financial status of the Palike was weak and it was not able to pay the General Administration Department (GAD).
They said the civic body had not been able to meet its basic expenditure and many initiatives had been withheld for lack of funds. Former deputy mayor S Harish said BBMP, on an average, gets payment of `2 to `3 crore every day through various means. “Where is the money spent?” he asked.
While Siddapur ward councillor Uday Shankar demanded that `5 crore per zone be released for GAD, JD(S) floor leader R Prakash demanded `5 lakh per ward for medical expenses. Adugodi ward councillor Murgesh Mudhaliar said pourakarmikas in his ward are on strike over non-payment of salaries.
In reply, the Commissioner said that the civic body’s financial status was improving. Apart from property tax, the BBMP had also collected around `200 crore from private operators laying optical fibre cable, he said and added, “With a special trade licence drive, we will collect `2,000 crore.”
“We are issuing another notice to tax defaulters of more than `1 crore.”