BENGALURU: The Individual Taxpayers’ Forum (ITPF) has appealed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to direct the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) not to collect property taxes as taxpayers have been denied basic infrastructure.
In a letter to the CM, the forum from Bengaluru East City Corporation limits said not much is being done to improve the city’s crumbling infrastructure. With bad roads and drainage, and poor transport and garbage clearance systems, people are left to fend for themselves.
Sandeep M from Disha Central Park Apartment on Varthur-Balagere-Panathur Road, who is part of the forum, said, “People, especially taxpayers, are made to suffer because of bad infrastructure planning by civic authorities. Unscientific, and poorly coordinated road white-topping and stormwater drain works are being implemented in the Varthur Balagere-Panathur region. Whenever it rains, parts of the area get flooded. Despite the CM’s instructions during his visit to the locality on September 27, the civic officials have not taken concrete steps to tackle the problems faced by the people.”
The forum had offered suggestions such as preventing flow of stormwater into manholes, stopping sewage flow into the Varthur lake, and clearing encroachments on stormwater channels to prevent floods. But these suggestions have not been considered. The civic authorities have launched “unscientific” pothole-filling and white-topping works in the region. Implementing such “unscientific” civic works by wasting taxpayers’ money will only lead to rapid deterioration of roads, he said.
The forum sought a scientific audit of civic works being implemented in the city.
Stressing the need for transparency, the forum said officials should be made accountable for the civic works.
