Prodded by HC, Jung calls meeting to review increase in Delhi circle rates

Following the orders of the Delhi High Court, Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung has called a meeting on Tuesday of officials of the concerned departments to review the circle rate hike on Tuesday.

The Delhi High Court had on August 16 sought the response of central and the Delhi governments on a public interest litigation seeking quashing of circle rate hike.The city government has hiked the circle rate by 30-50 per cent in certain slabs, mostly in the posh colonies.

It is understood that the LG will seek clarification from the concerned department officials to justify the hike in the court.

“We will discuss the possibilities for continuing the current circle rates which were meant to increase the revenue of the state government and to curb the illegal transactions of property. A detailed plan on the plea will be drafted,” a Delhi government official told Deccan Herald.

The court had also asked the three municipal corporations to file their replies about whether they are ‘charging stamp duty on circle rates or value of the transaction, which ever is higher’.

The concerned authorities were asked to file a counter affidavit by November 5.

“In any event, the circle rate notifications themselves are arbitrary and unreasonable in asmuch as the rates have been determined without any material on record or application of mind as has been admitted by the Respondent 1 (Delhi government) in response to RTI applications, and operate to cause great injustice and hardship to the parties,” the petition against the city government’s decision said.

“For instance, the circle rates do not distinguish between the particular floor or a property and circle rates for a basement floor (which can be used only for domestic storage and/or parking, and hence has a far lesser economic value) is the same as the circle rates for the ground floor,” the petition said.