The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) is mulling over cracking down on marriage halls that are running without having trade licence and paying property tax.
The issue of illegal marriage halls was raised at a recent council meeting here. Acting on the councillors’ complaints, the MCC has asked officials to prepare a list of halls under its limits and verify whether they had taken trade licence and are paying tax regularly.
MCC Commissioner K.H. Jagadish said action would be initiated against officers who allow marriage halls to operate flouting the rules. “If necessary, such halls will be shut down,” he said, adding that disconnection of water supply to such halls would also be considered.
However, the MCC does not have data on how many marriage halls are functioning without paying tax and obtaining trade licence.
When asked why the MCC had been blind to such violations until they were brought to the council’s notice, the Commissioner told reporters recently: “We are going into the details and checking all the facts before any action is taken.”
He said the MCC has resolved to regulate road cutting or digging by those conducting functions in front of their homes or on the streets in residential areas. He said the civic body had spent crores of rupees on road repair and asphalting, and if roads are damaged this way, the MCC would take action. The public have to make arrangements on their own without damaging roads, he said.
On street vendors
On the issue of eviction of street vendors, Mr. Jagadish said the MCC has resolved to designate hawking and no-hawking zones, and a list of such zones would be announced soon.
“We are evicting street vendors encroaching upon footpaths in the Central Business District and in the main commercial hubs. The MCC has taken steps to clear vendors wherever the public is put to inconvenience,” he said.
To a question on the delay in setting aside space for hawkers, he said the MCC would implement the system this year as it is mandatory in connection with the Swachh Bharat Mission.