KOLKATA: Residents of Rajarhat New Town have been complaining of the lack of civic amenities in the township. Their worries can now be put to rest. On Monday, the state cabinet cleared the proposal to enact the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2013 that will allow the authority to function as a municipality.
The urban development department will now prepare the draft for the proposed amendment bill to be placed at the next assembly session. Once approved, the civic body will not only be able to collect property tax from the residents but will also provide civic amenities to them.
This apart, the cabinet also passed a proposal to acquire 5.76 acres of land at Chakpachuria mouza in Rajarhat New Town for development of civic amenities like roads, sewerage and drainage and water supply.
State urban development minister Firhad Hakim said that by bringing this amendment bill, New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) will get a municipal structure and act as a municipality for New Town.
On January 1, 2009, NKDA was formed after the New Town Kolkata Development Authority Act, 2007 was passed by the state legislature. The purpose of the authority was to provide planned development and civic services to Rajarhat-New Town residents. At present, NKDA acts as the local civic body for the township, but Rajarhat New Town does not fall under any municipality or corporation.
Residents are, however, not satisfied with the services. “There is an overall lack of civic amenities in New Town. While garbage is seen piled up in many places, car parking is a big problem. The quality of water has been a long standing problem and the sewerage and drainage system is yet to be fully developed,” a resident of the township said.
Taking into consideration the inconvenience faced by the people, the state urban development department had mooted the proposal in the cabinet to allow NKDA to assess, levy and collect property tax from residents of Rajarhat New Town. However, the proposal was deferred since the chief minister wasn’t sure if an authority could function as a municipality. The department was then asked to work on proposing some amendments in the NKDA Act so that the authority could be entrusted with the responsibility to act like a municipality or corporation and be able to collect tax. The move has been welcomed by the residents.
The proposal to acquire 5.76 acres of land at dag number 1,365 and 1,366 (P) of Chakpachuria mouza will also give a boost to the township. The land will be used for development of internal road network, sewerage and drainage and water supply system.
Though Hidco authorities were tightlipped about the land acquisition proposal, Hakim said that the land was already in the possession of Hidco and that no fresh acquisition was required. Officials said that there was no problem in acquisition of land for any public interest project.
The state cabinet on Monday took a significant decision by clearing the proposal to enact the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2013 to allow the authority to function as a municipality by collecting property tax and providing civic amenities in Rajarhat New Town. The urban development department will now prepare the draft for the proposed amendment bill to be placed at the next assembly session. The cabinet also passed a proposal to acquire 5.76 acres of land at Chakpachuria mouza in Rajarhat New Town for development of civic amenities like roads, sewerage and drainage and water supply in the upcoming township.
State urban development minister Firhad Hakim said that by bringing this amendment bill, New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) will get a municipal structure and act as a municipality for New Town.
Residents of New Town have been complaining for a long time that NKDA was not able to provide civic amenities properly. “There is an overall lack of civic amenities in New Town. Garbage is seen piled up in many places, car parking is a big problem, quality of water has been a long standing problem while the sewerage and drainage system is yet to be fully developed,” a resident said.
The New Town Kolkata Development Authority Act, 2007 was passed by the West Bengal legislature and the authority was formed on January 1, 2009 to provide planned development as well as civic services and amenities in areas in Rajarhat-New Town. Presently, though NKDA acts as the local civic body, Rajarhat New Town does not fall under any municipality or corporation and residents of the township do not pay property tax to the government.
Earlier last year, the state urban development department had mooted the proposal in the state cabinet to allow NKDA to assess, levy and collect property tax from residents of Rajarhat New Town. However, the proposal was deferred as the chief minister enquired whether an authority can function as a municipality. The department was then asked to work on proposing some amendments in the NKDA Act so that the authority can be entrusted with the responsibility to act like a municipality or corporation and be able to collect tax.
In another decision, the cabinet passed the proposal to acquire 5.76 acres of land at dag number 1,365 and 1,366 (P) of Chakpachuria mouza in Rajarhat New Town for development of internal road network, sewerage and drainage and water supply system. The decision is significant given that chief minister Mamata Banerjee had announced that no more land would be acquired in Rajarhat New Town.
Though Hidco authorities were tightlipped about the land acquisition proposal, state urban development minister Firhad Hakim said that the land was already there with Hidco and that no fresh acquisition was required. Some officials said that there was no problem in acquisition of land for any public interest project.
Source: The Economic Times