*The parties and the citizens are getting involed at least in Pune*
*rgds*
*vinay *
*======================================*
**
*PMC WATCH*
BJP LEADERS MATHKARI AND KESKAR CLAIM THAT THE CORRECT PICTURE OF REFORMS
WERE NOT PRESENTED *'Kareer's picture of JNNURM incomplete'* *Express News
Service*<
http://www.expressindia.com/about/feedback.html?mailto=vvdeshmukh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Pune, February 10:* COUNTERING the ''logic and statements'' made by the
Municipal Commissioner in regards with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)
losing out on the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM)
if the tax reforms are not maintained, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders
Vikas Mathkari and Ujjwal Keskar claimed that Kareer had not presented a
true picture of the issues.
Mathkari said that while Kareer claimed that the tax reforms are one of the
mandatory reforms, the norms of JNNURM specify that they should take place
gradually, over a period of seven years. ''Even the planners of the
programme are aware that reforms cannot take place overnight, neither do
they expect it to happen so.''
<
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He
stated that the State government is yet to cancel the ULC Act, reduce stamp
duty and amend the Rent Act, which also are part of the mandatory reforms
and thus why was Kareer insisting so strongly on tax reforms through hike in
the name of JNNURM, he demanded to know.
''Voluntary retirement scheme for the employees, reservation for EWS and
urban poor are also mandatory, which PMC has not introduced,'' he added.
Civic activist Vivek Velankar has presented startling facts about road tax,
which contradicts the logic of hike in the road tax introduced by Kareer
last year. According to Velankar, more than Rs 40 crore collected as road
tax by the PMC was unutilised, which raised the surplus to more than Rs 55
crore. ''Even if the road tax is not charged for the next two years, there
is sufficient amount under the head and there will be no question of the
JNNURM programme getting affected,'' he said.