Boosting revenue collection: KMC calls for coordination among depts

Kolkata: In a bid to increase its revenue, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is learnt to have ordered better coordination between its various departments, especially the assessment and building departments.

The civic body is learnt to have issued instructions to its officials to ramp up revenue collection. Such a decision, it was learnt, was taken after it came to KMC’s notice that the Revenue department is not receiving information when a property’s character is getting changed, thus affecting the revenue in the form of property tax.

It was learnt that in several cases, a part or whole of a residential property is being used for commercial purposes but KMC is continuing to collect taxes according to rates applicable for residential property.

The Building department has been asked to inform if any of such properties have applied for change in use in character.

Recently, in the context of illegal constructions and gift deeds for widening roads, Mayor Firhad Hakim had advocated for a coordination between the survey, building and the civil departments. “These departments need to inform the borough chairmen about the number of buildings sanctioned in their respective boroughs,” he had said.

In a recent meeting held at the KMC headquarters, the Municipal Commissioner is learnt to have advocated for better coordination between departments. Civic body sources said that the revenue collection in the last financial year was not upto satisfaction.

This prompted the need for a meeting with most of the departments including parking, solid waste management, licence etc.

Further, the civic body is also assessing in which sectors revenue collection can be increased.

In the last financial year, revenue collection from licence and advertisement department was not upto mark.