House passes bill making RWH mandatory

The Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed an amendment bill that proposes to make rainwater harvesting mandatory in all city corporations of the State.

Rainwater harvesting is already mandatory in Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits with the Assembly passing the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage (Amendment) Bill, last year, making it mandatory for citizens living within the jurisdiction of the Palike to install rainwater harvesting systems in their buildings.

Piloting the Karnataka Municipalities and Certain Other Law (Amendment) Bill, 2011,  Urban Development Minister Suresh Kumar said the bill proposes to make it mandatory to build rainwater harvesting structures by households in municipal corporation areas. The deadline for installation of rainwater harvesting structures will be notified by the respective corporations.

Every owner or occupier of a building on a site of area not less than 2,400 sq ft, or every owner who proposes to construct a building of area not less than 1,200 sq ft will have to provide space for rainwater harvesting from the date specified by the government, the bill states.

The bill also proposes to exempt 50 per cent property tax on building and land belonging to ex-servicemen or members of the family of ex-servicemen.

Property tax
The bill also proposes to enhance the upper limit of property tax leviable by municipal bodies under different categories. Suresh Kumar said had to be taken as per the guidelines of the 13th Finance Commission. “We are enhancing only the ceiling and that need not mean that the property tax rates will be hiked,” he said.