Property tax hike issue to betaken up in Cabinet meeting

Minister in-charge of Dharwad district Jagadish Shettar has promised to take up the property tax hike issue in the next Cabinet meeting and discuss the matter with the Urban Development Minister.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Mr. Shettar said that urban local bodies have hiked property tax up to 30 % and after facing flak from the people, they have reduced each slab by 5 %. However, various local organisations and the general public have been demanding that the government to roll back the hike and maintain status quo. He said that he was not the immediate authority to take a decision. Hence, he would convey the people’s demand to the Chief Minister.

On some private banks and micro finance firms reportedly penalising customers for non-payment of loans, Mr. Shettar said that there is a direction from the Centre and also the State to banks asking them not to bring pressure to bear on people for repayment of loans for the next three months in the wake of COVID-19 situation. The Deputy Commissioner has been told to hold a meeting with private banks and micro finance firms and warn them against penalising customers who have availed of loans and have delayed repayment, he added.

On the COVID-19 situation in the district, he said that preventive measures taken by the district administration had yielded satisfactory results. So far, 13,033 persons have been tested for the infection of which 12,432 have tested negative and the results of the remaining are awaited.

Officials have been told to decentralise the APMC market so that there is no large gathering and also protect farmers from middle-men. Playgrounds should be converted into shandies and facilitate growers to sell their produce directly to consumers and get remunerative prices, he said.