No BBMP notice yet: Traders

Bengaluru: The BBMP’s seven-day deadline to illegal commercial establishments operating in residential areas is coming to an end on Wednesday.

Owners of most of the establishments operating in residential areas refused to comment to Deccan Chronicle’s queries. The owners maintained that they were not aware of any notice issued by the BBMP, requesting them to voluntarily shut their units in residential areas. They all declined to comment, saying their ‘higher ups’ were not available. 

However, a representative of a digital marketing company in Koramangala 3rd Block (in a duplex residential building), on condition of anonymity, said, “We are paying '1 lakh for the whole building and we are paying Bescom as a commercial unit and not as a domestic unit. We have around 20 employees and the number of our visitors is over 15-20.”

Questioned whether they are on the lookout for a space in a commercial area to run their business after the notice, he said, “We have not yet made any efforts to vacate, as the BBMP has issued a public notice to all the commercial units in residential areas, but not any individual notice."

Stating that no commercial unit will admit that it is functioning illegally in a residential area, Mr Sajjanraj Mehta, a trade activist, said, “The BBMP should stop harassing all traders and shop owners. They have to collect information on all such illegal units with the help of data available with departments like Bescom, commercial taxes and labour and then zero in on illegal units.” He said that the authorities should give time to such illegal units to find alternatives.  

Batting for citizens to help the government enforce the law, Ms Aruna Newton, president of HAL 2nd Stage Civic Amenities and Cultural Association of Indiranagar, said, “Every second property in some residential areas, including Indiranagar, has become unlivable due to illegal commercial units. It is good that the government has woken up at least now to crack the whip on such units."

Asked about the number of such units, Ms Newton said, “Between 12th and 14th Main in Indiranagar alone there are 280 illegal commercial units.” 

On the one-week notice, she said, “Even if illegal units are given a year's time, they will not act. The BBMP should move firmly and quickly and get rid of this menace!”

Declare correct property details in a month: BBMP
The BBMP has given a month’s time for property owners who under the self-assessment scheme have under-declared their property to avoid tax to come up voluntarily and pay their taxes.

Mr Gunashekar, chairman, BBMP Standing Committee for Taxation and Finance, said, “Ground station survey of large properties like malls and tech parks is being taken up. The aim is to find cases of under-declaration and property tax evasion and to fetch more revenues for the BBMP. We have given a month’s time from December 14 to January 13 for those property owners who have under-declared to come up voluntarily, declare their full property and pay up the taxes.”

Under the Self-Assessment Scheme, citizens can declare the extent of their property, calculate the tax and pay it within January 14, he said. The BBMP is empowered to take action against citizens who give false declarations to evade tax, he added.