E-Paper
Civic elections: Blessing in disguise for LMC
MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS have come as a blessing in disguise for the Lucknow Municipal Corporation. The LMC has become richer by Rs 7.00 lakh in just four days.
MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS have come as a blessing in disguise for the Lucknow Municipal Corporation. The LMC has become richer by Rs 7.00 lakh in just four days.
How could it ‘earn’ such a huge amount from elections? Sounds amazing! But it’s true. The gain has come from issuing ‘No Objection Certificates’ (NOC) to the candidates interested in contesting elections. In fact, the corporators are required to furnish an NOC of having cleared all dues like house tax, water tax, or any other charges to qualify for the contest. For the candidates living in the rented accommodation, it is necessary to clear the house tax and water tax of the house where they are living.
“We can get more. According to figures received till 3.00 p.m. on Friday about 725 candidates had taken NOC from the LMC. We have received seven lakhs without going to the field. Some of the money has come from the old city areas where people are famous for not clearing LMC dues,” says additional municipal commissioner AC Sinha.
He was upbeat to get the tax pending on some of the notorious corporators who were famous for holding up the LMC dues. “There were some corporators who had not paid any tax to the LMC since last 5 years as they were strongmen in their localities but they came and deposited all the amount just to get the NOC,” says Sinha.
Sources in the LMC say there NOC business has dark side too. Sources allege the department around 38 NOCs have been issued under pressure. These cases if probed properly would divulge that NOC to the candidates with good connections has been issued by giving false information.
