Chandigarh civic body revises community centre policy: free use for poor girls' weddings, RWAs meet; rituals payable
The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) has decided to continue offering free use of community centres for weddings of girls from the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, as well as for meetings of Residents' Welfare Associations (RWAs) and Senior Citizen Associations, but ceremonies such as 'pagdi' and post-funeral meals (kriya bhog) will now attract a 25 per cent booking charge.
These events were previously exempt, but the policy was revised after opposition to an initially proposed 50 per cent fee.
The new draft policy, which includes revised usage rules and updated pricing, will be presented for approval in the MC House meeting scheduled on June 3. Earlier drafts that suggested charges for RWA meetings and poor girls' weddings were rolled back, following strong objections from civic groups.
Revised booking charges across categories
Booking fees for community centres are set to increase across the board. Category-A centres, currently priced at Rs 44,000 (including tax), will now be available for Rs 60,000 (excluding tax). Centres previously available for Rs 22,000 will now cost Rs 40,000 and applicable tax. For Category C centres, charges will increase from the previous range of Rs 5,000–Rs 22,000 to Rs 15,000–Rs 30,000.
Membership-based access introduced
The Corporation is also introducing an annual membership model for community centres, similar to club memberships. The annual fee has been fixed at Rs 1,000 for Category A and B centres and Rs 500 for senior citizens. For Category C centres, it will be Rs 500 and Rs 250 for senior citizens. Members will enjoy privileges such as discounted bookings and access to facilities like gyms and indoor games.
The operation of each centre will be overseen by a management committee, with the area mayor acting as patron and the local councilor as chairperson. Nominated councillors and departmental SDEs will also be included in these panels.
PPP model for operations and expansion
Under a new Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiative, five community centres — located in Sectors 37, 38-West, 40, 49 and 50 — will be operated and maintained by private companies. The company offering the highest revenue share will win the contract. These operators will be allowed to rebrand the centres, but booking charges cannot exceed 1.5 times the base rate.
Additionally, Request for Proposals (RFPs) will be floated to construct new centres on vacant land in Sectors 24, 51, 63 and Bapu Dham (Sector 26), and to redevelop existing centres in Sector 29 and Thakurdwara (Manimajra), along with managing the Rose Club in Sector 16. These contracts will be for 15 years initially, extendable by five years.
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Time of India
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CHANDIGARH : The Chandigarh municipal corporation has achieved an unprecedented property tax collection of approximately Rs 60 crore during April and May rebate period. Citizens submitted payments via e-Sampark Centres and banks, with e-Sampark Centres, which operated until 8pm on Saturday, receiving the majority of payments. The final figures might increase slightly, but this collection marks the highest amount ever received during a two-month rebate period. The detailed breakdown of residential and commercial property tax collections will be published on Monday after data compilation. Sources indicate that whilst commercial properties contributed the larger share of the amount, residential property owners represented the highest number of taxpayers. "As the rates of commercial property tax are substantially higher than the residential properties, the collected amount of commercial property tax is relatively higher than the residential tax category. On the other hand, the maximum taxpayers fall in the residential taxpayers category," sources in the MC said. Official records indicate that e-Sampark Centres collected approximately Rs 48 crore, whilst banks received around rupees 12 crore. About 65,000 taxpayers participated during April and May, with roughly 51,000 from residential properties and the remainder from commercial establishments. The tax branch officials worked diligently over these two months, encouraging taxpayers to utilise the rebate period. The MC addressed numerous queries from taxpayers who visited their office during this period. The previous year's collection during April and May 2024 was approximately rupees 39 crore, with lower tax rates. Following the Chandigarh administration's decision to double property tax rates in April, the MC anticipates collecting around rupees 70 crore this financial year, excluding arrears. Currently, Chandigarh has 1.42 lakh properties, comprising 1.12 lakh residential and 30,000 commercial properties. The rebate period concluded on May 31, and those who missed the deadline must now pay a 25% penalty on their total property tax amount, plus 12% interest. During the rebate period, residential properties received a 20% rebate, whilst commercial properties received 10%.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
Chandigarh civic body revises community centre policy: free use for poor girls' weddings, RWAs meet; rituals payable
The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) has decided to continue offering free use of community centres for weddings of girls from the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, as well as for meetings of Residents' Welfare Associations (RWAs) and Senior Citizen Associations, but ceremonies such as 'pagdi' and post-funeral meals (kriya bhog) will now attract a 25 per cent booking charge. These events were previously exempt, but the policy was revised after opposition to an initially proposed 50 per cent fee. The new draft policy, which includes revised usage rules and updated pricing, will be presented for approval in the MC House meeting scheduled on June 3. Earlier drafts that suggested charges for RWA meetings and poor girls' weddings were rolled back, following strong objections from civic groups. Revised booking charges across categories Booking fees for community centres are set to increase across the board. Category-A centres, currently priced at Rs 44,000 (including tax), will now be available for Rs 60,000 (excluding tax). Centres previously available for Rs 22,000 will now cost Rs 40,000 and applicable tax. For Category C centres, charges will increase from the previous range of Rs 5,000–Rs 22,000 to Rs 15,000–Rs 30,000. Membership-based access introduced The Corporation is also introducing an annual membership model for community centres, similar to club memberships. The annual fee has been fixed at Rs 1,000 for Category A and B centres and Rs 500 for senior citizens. For Category C centres, it will be Rs 500 and Rs 250 for senior citizens. Members will enjoy privileges such as discounted bookings and access to facilities like gyms and indoor games. The operation of each centre will be overseen by a management committee, with the area mayor acting as patron and the local councilor as chairperson. Nominated councillors and departmental SDEs will also be included in these panels. PPP model for operations and expansion Under a new Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiative, five community centres — located in Sectors 37, 38-West, 40, 49 and 50 — will be operated and maintained by private companies. The company offering the highest revenue share will win the contract. These operators will be allowed to rebrand the centres, but booking charges cannot exceed 1.5 times the base rate. Additionally, Request for Proposals (RFPs) will be floated to construct new centres on vacant land in Sectors 24, 51, 63 and Bapu Dham (Sector 26), and to redevelop existing centres in Sector 29 and Thakurdwara (Manimajra), along with managing the Rose Club in Sector 16. These contracts will be for 15 years initially, extendable by five years.
Time of India
2 days ago
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Chandigarh MC collects record property tax during 2-month rebate period
1 2 Chandigarh: The Chandigarh municipal corporation has achieved an unprecedented property tax collection of approximately Rs 60 crore during April and May rebate period. Citizens submitted payments via e-Sampark Centres and banks, with e-Sampark Centres, which operated until 8pm on Saturday, receiving the majority of payments. The final figures might increase slightly, but this collection marks the highest amount ever received during a two-month rebate period. The detailed breakdown of residential and commercial property tax collections will be published on Monday after data compilation. Sources indicate that whilst commercial properties contributed the larger share of the amount, residential property owners represented the highest number of taxpayers. "As the rates of commercial property tax are substantially higher than the residential properties, the collected amount of commercial property tax is relatively higher than the residential tax category. On the other hand, the maximum taxpayers fall in the residential taxpayers category," sources in the MC said. Official records indicate that e-Sampark Centres collected approximately Rs 48 crore, whilst banks received around rupees 12 crore. About 65,000 taxpayers participated during April and May, with roughly 51,000 from residential properties and the remainder from commercial establishments. The tax branch officials worked diligently over these two months, encouraging taxpayers to utilise the rebate period. The MC addressed numerous queries from taxpayers who visited their office during this period. The previous year's collection during April and May 2024 was approximately rupees 39 crore, with lower tax rates. Following the Chandigarh administration's decision to double property tax rates in April, the MC anticipates collecting around rupees 70 crore this financial year, excluding arrears. Currently, Chandigarh has 1.42 lakh properties, comprising 1.12 lakh residential and 30,000 commercial properties. The rebate period concluded on May 31, and those who missed the deadline must now pay a 25% penalty on their total property tax amount, plus 12% interest. During the rebate period, residential properties received a 20% rebate, whilst commercial properties received 10%.
