KMC and certain other law amendment bills passed in Karnataka Assembly amid Opposition walkout

BELAGAVI: The Karnataka Municipal Corporation and certain other law(amendment) bill, 2021 passed in the Legislative Council amid the walk out by the opposition group.

On behalf of the urban development minister BA Basavaraj, minister for Higher Education,  IT/BT and Skill Development Dr Ashwath Narayan CN tabled the bill in the Council. The bill amended the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act, 1976 and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Act, 2020. 

Raising objection and demanding reviewing of this  bill, the senior member, who was mayor of BBMP, PR Ramesh, Thippeswamy and Opposition leader SR Patil said that this bill will not stand correct in the the legal aspects as this bill is being brought to legalize Rs 2362 crore tax collected in Bengaluru from the property holders without any law. 

Opposition leader SR Patil termed this tax collected from the people of Bengaluru as 'Dacoity' as it was collected without bringing any law for it. The Court has already slapped the government many times for bringing such unscientific amendment bills which do not fit in the legal aspects. A bill should be brought earlier for levying the revised taxes or new taxes, However, this amendment bill is being brought to legalize the tax amount collected illegally earlier' he said. 

Reacting to him, minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan said 'This tax amount issue of 2015 and was collected by framing a by-law. As the Court has passed an order to bring a law for this tax, the amendment bill has been brought and requested to pass the bill. The opposition group did not agree to it and walked out from the house. The bill was passed amid the absence of the opposition members.