Hike in licence fee inevitable, says CMC Commissioner

 The CMC Commissioner Manjunathayya has declared that the licence fee is not revised since 1985.

It has, therefore, become inevitable to raise the fee, albeit as per the directions of Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA), said the official.

Manjunathayya explained that a slab pattern is being followed, wherein the A, B and C categories are formed.

“The creamy layer will come under Category A and the licence fee is decided based on the square-foot measurement of the building. The 40 per cent licence holders, who come under categories B and C may have to pay lesser, compared to earlier, owing to the square-foot value of their particular industrial establishments,” he said.

The implementation of the proposed price hike is possible only after the completion of the formalities. Although the issue is taken up with the opposition party, they are trying merely to create chaos, said the commissioner.

Speaking about the procedure, Manjunathayya said, “At least one month is needed for the completion of the formalities. The proposal will be sent to the Directorate of Municipal Administration for approval. After receiving the approval of the DMA, the proposal will be sent to the government for final consideration, through the deputy commissioner.”

He said that the proposal also requires to be accepted with unanimous resolution. “BJP has not given anything in writing against the proposed plan. The resolution should be endorsed. The proposal is in the drafting stage and will be kept in public domain for objections,” he added.

The measures, Manjunathayya said, are taken based on the financial conditions. “The proposed solid waste management unit, for instance, requires Rs 5.5 crore. The CMC, therefore, has decided to take up the initiative to be finically sound.

“Currently, Rs 12,85,000 is collected as licence fee and if the new plan is introduced, the collection of the licence fee would be Rs 40 lakh,” he explained.

He added that the fee for NOC has not been hiked. He also said that there is no interference by the MLA for issuing the completion certificate.