Cong vows no tax for tenant-free houses, to levy congestion charge
The Congress on Tuesday said it will exempt all properties, which have not been rented out, from paying house tax and simplify building by-laws. Senior citizens above the age of 65 will also be exempt from paying house tax.
Presenting the second of the three-part party manifesto for the MCD polls, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Ajay Maken said the party will revive Bhagidari system to promote RWAs’ participation in local governance and they will also be given power to collect surface parking charges.
The Bhagidari system, under which local bodies’ officers interacted with RWAs to solve their problems on a monthly basis, was launched by former Congress CM Sheila Dikshit but it was disbanded by the AAP government .
“Properties covered under mixed land use and for which conversion charges or license fee has been paid for 10 years will be exempted from the ambit of license fee,” Maken said while releasing ‘Urban Infrastructure’.
To incentivise creation of parking space, the party promises that commercial establishment will be given Floor Area Ratio (FAR) relaxations, if they create more parkings.
“If we come to power, we will also impose congestion charges because we also believe in making strict laws that will help people of Delhi,” he said.
For women’s safety, LED lights and CCTV cameras will be installed on corporation roads.
To woo the over 40 lakh Purvanchali population, the party promised separate fund for Chhath Puja and more number of ghats at ward level. Chhath Puja ghats have found special mention in the BJP manifesto and the AAP government had provided Rs 20 crore in its budget for the construction of ghats.
The manifesto also promises time-bound delivery of services by issuing a charter of 13 civic services, within three days of assuming office in the corporations after the polls. If the employees fail in ensuring timebound delivery of these services, they will be fined Rs 250 per day, Maken said.
The civic bodies will set up utilities maintenance department (UMD) for upkeep of multilevel parkings, toilets, night shelters and community halls, he said.
Commenting on the revival of Bhagidari, East Delhi RWA federation president, BS Bohra, said, “The scheme was a great help for RWAs. We can straightaway discuss our problems with senior officers .”
However, collection of surface parking charges is not practical at a time when several people in locality are reluctant to pay money to even guards, he said .
On Wednesday, the Congress will release youth manifesto near Delhi University’s South Campus . “The document will have details about how to counter BJP’s interference in universities,” said Congress leader Ajay Sharma.