Elections a blessing in disguise for civic body

The Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) has found an opportune moment in the upcoming elections to make aspiring candidates deposit house tax they had been evading for long. Eshani Mathur reports.

The Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) has found an opportune moment in the upcoming elections to make aspiring candidates deposit house tax they had been evading for long.

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Even the people endorsing the names of candidates in the capacity of proposers are being asked to clear their pending house tax dues. While filing nominations for the municipal corporation elections, contestants have to submit a no objection certificate (NOC) from the civic body. For that, aspirants are now being made to pay house tax, effective from 2008, for the last three years.

The MCG had started issuing NOCs from April 27 but the process is marred in controversy. Many candidates complained of mismanagement and alleged that few staff members, deployed for the task, were not aware of the rules and regulations. Rajender Kataria, former chairman of the municipal corporation, who plans to file nominations, claimed his form was misplaced in the MCG office.

“I have recently constructed a three-storey house in the ‘lal dora’ area where tax is not applicable. When the MCG came into existence, we filed an objection against the house tax notice sent to us. The hearing in the case is still pending. Now, the officials are refusing to accept our plea and forcing us to pay tax along with the proposers’ dues,” said Jay Prakash, candidate from Ward no. 23 who paid R25,000 as house tax on Thursday.