Udupi: Belle Grama Sabha hots up with questions on increase in House Tax

By Eugene DSouza, Moodubelle
Bellevision Media Network

Udupi /M’Belle, Jul 30, 2014 : The first Grama Sabha of Belle Grama Panchayat  for the year 2014-15 comprising of villagers from Moodubelle-Kattingeri and Padubelle held in Geeeta Mandir on Wednesday, 30 July 2014 at 10.30 am got heated up towards the end as agitated villagers questioned the rationale behind the drastic  increase in the House Tax since this year.  The Belle Grama Panchayat had increased the house tax for both tiled and terrace houses five to ten times the original tax.

 

Pacifying the agitated villagers, Rajendra Shetty, the President of Belle Grama Panchayat said that though there has been a provision for the gradual increase of house tax, since 2000 there has not been any increase. He pointed out the poor financial condition of the grama panchayat and increasing financial burden on the panchayat. He also said that the government has issued a circular permitting the panchayats to charge house tax as per its guideline which the panchayat has followed. Besides, he pointed out that  the panchayat has charged the minimum prescribed house tax as per the government order.

 

 

There was good response to the Grama Sabha as the Geeta Mandir hall was filled to capacity. Many villagers raised issues regarding lack of drinking water facility in their areas, problems of roads and drainage as well as the question of cleanliness in the township.

 

Regarding the Ward Sabhas that were supposed to have been held prior to the Grama Sabha some of the villages pointed out the lack of communication regarding the date and time of the Ward Meetings. Retired Professor P.D. Kamath said that though the handbills indicating the date, time and venue of the  ward sabhas were printed, efforts were not made to see it that they reached  individual houses of the village.

 

Earlier, Mrs. Benny Quadros, the Panchayat Development Officer(PDO) welcomed the gathering and readout the report of last year including the income and expenditure of the panchayat.

 

Officers representing various departments such as Primary Health, Women and Child Welfare, Animal Husbandry, Cooperative Society, revenue, MESCOM and Police addressed the villagers and pointed out the various government facilities which they could avail through their departments.

 

Basavaraj, the Section Officer of MESCOM who had rendered three years service at Moodubelle was felicitated on his transfer to other area.

 

Besides the members of the Belle Grama Panchayat and officers of various departments,  the Grama Sabha  was attended by  Mrs. Ida Gibba D’Souza, member of the Udupi Zilla Panchayat and Devdas Hebbar, former President of Udupi Taluk Panchayat.