Owners of individual portions of shared properties in Chandigarh will find it easier to obtain separate property IDs, with the Municipal Corporation’s General House on Wednesday passing a proposal to amend clause 18 of the property tax bylaws, 2003. It pertains to rules to facilitate the process for those willing to clear dues on their respective portions.
As the agenda was proposed, Congress councillor Gurpreet Singh Gabi highlighted the problem of pending property tax arrears, arguing that owners should not be denied the opportunity to regularise their individual portions merely because other co-owners had failed to pay their dues. The proposal was passed after councillors discussed the difficulties faced by people who own separate floors or portions of a jointly held property.
Under the existing arrangement, outstanding property tax dues can obstruct changes in ownership and related formalities. Joint commissioner Harpreet Singh Sudan clarified during the meeting that, under the current rules, the outstanding amount has to be paid before further action can be taken on ownership-related matters.
Gabi and other councillors called for a change in the rules to allow an individual owner to pay the arrears attributable to their portion and proceed with obtaining a separate property ID.
The move is expected to provide relief to residents facing difficulties in completing property-related formalities because of disputes or non-payment by co-owners.
{{/usCountry}}The move is expected to provide relief to residents facing difficulties in completing property-related formalities because of disputes or non-payment by co-owners.
{{/usCountry}}The proceedings opened with a two-minute silence in memory of activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, who had raised his voice against drug abuse. The meeting, meanwhile, was marked by disruptions and protests over civic issues. It was postponed initially and eventually began around an hour behind schedule, at 3 pm.
Road repairs dominate zero hour
Road conditions and delays in development works emerged as another major point of contention during zero hour, with Congress councillors staging a sit-in on the floor in front of Mayor Saurabh Joshi. After councillor Taruna Mehta raised the issue, the mayor assured the House that development works would begin within three to five days. Councillors also questioned the quality of work and delays by contractors. Municipal commissioner Amit Kumar reprimanded officials and directed all executive engineers to appear in his office with the files relating to their respective contractors’ works.