20% hike in house tax, 5% in shop rent: BMC

BICHOLIM: A unanimous decision to effect a 20% hike in house tax and only a 5%, instead of 10%, hike in shopkeepers' rent was taken at the first meeting of the Bicholim Municipal Council (BMC) held on Tuesday.
Deputy chairperson Shashikant Halarnkar said the hike in house tax, after 16 years, was needed to generate additional revenue.
The BMC also decided to undertake a town development plan at a cost of ` 8 crore.This will include construction of concrete roads with provision for underground electricity and water cables along with telephone cables; hot mixing of city roads; construction of footpaths, parking zones; beautification of playground, etc .
It was also decided to construct a two-storied building behind the existing BMC. It will have parking facilities on the ground floor, a library on the first floor and a multipurpose hall on the second floor.
BMC also decided to acquire land in front of the Shantadurga High School for city parking and a pay-parking zone near the Kadamba bus stand.
Other issues discussed included implementation of all no-entry zones in the town, re-asphalting of bad, internal roads, widening of a road in the industrial estate, accommodation of stray cattle at Lakerem by constructing a new cowshed, declaring a raad from Shantadurga HS to Mardolkar hospital as no-parking zone and the implementation of e-governance.