Scrap penalty on illegal buildings, says Shiv Sena

PIMPRI CHINCHWAD: Th e Shiv Sena has dug its heels in on the issue of unauthorized constructions.
The party’s corporators in Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation have demanded that the civic body accept property tax from owners of illegal buildings, without imposing a penalty. Group leader Rahul Kalate, city unit chief Yogesh Babar and women’s organizer Sulabha Ubale have submitted a letter to municipal commissioner Shravan Hardikar.

In the letter, Kalate pointed that the city has 78,064 illegal constructions, whose penalty arrears amount to Rs437 crore, accumulated over several years of non-payment.

Alleging that the BJP swept into power in PCMC after promising citizens that the penalty will be abolished, Kalate said the citizens are struggling to recover from the effects of demonetisation, industrial recession and inflation, and called on the administration to do away with the penalties.

He said the owners of illegal buildings are trapped in a Catch-22 situation, the civic body does not accept property tax payment without a penalty, which only increases the arrears.