Civic body to revise company tax
The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has plans to revise company tax by at least three times the present figures. The revision will come into effect in the second half of this fiscal year. This move has been made with a view to improving the civic body’s finances and revising tax rates that have remained unchanged over many years. Earlier the civic body had revised property tax rates in the city.
With the revision, companies that have an investment less than a lakh will now pay Rs 300 as company tax. Those with investments less than two lakhs will pay Rs 600 and less than three lakhs will pay Rs 900. Company taxes are charged twice a year.
Source: DTNext
Read more: Behavioural change, better enforcement keys to solving street parking issue
On-street parking charges to be determined for Chennai
The Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) has been tasked with drafting a parking policy for the Chennai Metropolitan Area which includes Chennai city and its suburbs. CUMTA will look into various strategies to regulate on-street parking which is yet to be streamlined in the city.
CUMa will examine differential pricing options based on congestion in various areas with crowded areas such as T Nagar, Nungambakkam and Egmore potentially attracting higher charges. The body will also look into fixing rates for multi-level parking in a manner that will incentivise its use.
The parking policy has been prepared by CUMTA by looking at models adopted in Bengaluru and Madhya Pradesh. CUMTA is also set to hold stakeholder consultations to receive feedback on the draft policy.
Source: The Hindu
Mosquito control activities intensified in Chennai
A four-year-old boy from Maduravoyal died of dengue this week. The bereaved family was visited by the GCC Commissioner Dr. Radhakrishnan. Following this news, the civic body has intensified mosquito control activities in the city in order to curb the spread of dengue.
The Commissioner was accompanied by field officers, zonal officers and an entomologist on his visit. They carried out an inspection of the area and ordered the intensification of activities such as the eradication of the vectors at the source. The Commissioner also carried out an inspection in the Shollinganallur zone.
Residents will be educated about the spread of dengue and the civic body will undertake periodic fogging and prevent stagnation of water.
Source: The Times of India
CMWSSB to launch new app for grievance redressal
The Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) will launch an app to gather grievances by residents and address them in a time-bound manner. The app will allow residents to raise complaints about water supply, sewage issues, taxes and payments.
Once a complaint has been lodged the issue will be directed to the area engineers who will address them. On the back-end, a dashboard will be created to track the issues and their resolution. A WhatsApp number will also be shared with residents for the purpose of raising complaints.
The app will be rolled out by the end of this month. This is the CMWSSB’s second attempt to launch such an app after the efforts in 2019 did not yield results.
Source: The New Indian Express
Read more: Stray cattle in Chennai streets: The solution must go beyond fines
Stray cattle roam Chennai streets
Despite assurances from the civic body on dealing with stray cattle, multiple incidents of accidents due to stray cattle or attacks by stray cattle have been reported in recent weeks in Chennai.
Three persons were injured in Iyappanthangal when a stray cattle attacked a two-wheeler and knocked it down and proceeded to attack some pedestrians. The owner of the cattle was later identified and charged by the police.
In another incident, a cow attacked pedestrians in the Ice House area. The owner of the cow was identified and charged and the cow was impounded.
The civic body continues to carry out raids in various parts of the city to identify and impound stray cattle and charge owners who display irresponsible conduct.
Source: The New Indian Express
[Compiled by Aruna Natarajan]