BETTERMENT TAX ON BOPAL CITIZENS...

Located in the Western region of Ahmedabad, Bopal has been one highly controversial area for the AMC.

Notorious for its potholes and erratic electricity supply, Bopal residents have constantly voiced their inconvenience and concern to authorities. Following a spell of rains, Bopal transforms into an ocean… and has many other severe ‘maintenance’ issues… Water supply is at the mercy of external tankers…but still, the AUDA has been charging its residents ‘Betterment Tax’ for ‘betterment’ which certainly seems not to be happening.  

Kuldeep Patel (name changed), a resident of the India Colony in Bopal had purchased a house more than 25 years ago for Rs 60,000. Today, AUDA, (Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority) demands a ‘Betterment Tax’ of Rs 1 lakh.

Similarly, Makrand Bhatt (name changed) of Abhishek Society will have to pay Rs1.50 lakh under the same head for the property he purchased for same amount in 1991.

These are not the only cases; scores of Bopal citizens are being forced to pay hefty amounts for ‘Betterment’ to AUDA. The authorities have served betterment charge demand notices to more than 1,000 residential societies….which amount to around Rs 200 crore in Bopal.

The residents of Bopal believe that the betterment charges cannot be justified in the sense that development has taken place after obtaining due permission from the concerned authority.

For residents, who have been deprived of even basic infrastructure and amenities in Bopal, these charges are not only too high, but aimless! Residents claim to have been paying other taxes for revenue, water, sanitation etc to the government for years for ‘development’… and are fuming about this new ‘tax’ they need to pay.

According to newspaper reports, the government owes around Rs150 crore to Rs200 crore to the Bopal Gram Panchayat.    

The Bopal Gram Panchayat, which is also enraged by this move, believes that if the government uses this money for development of Bopal, there is no need for levying any betterment tax on citizens. Moreover, the government needs to use half of the accruals of selling government grazing land (Gauchar) for providing various amenities in the area.

Meanwhile, not so surprisingly, AUDA authorities claim they do not know the figure of betterment tax to be recovered from residents of Bopal... and they are only ‘doing what the rules say’. 

** Please note -- some information taken from DNA, Ahmedabad – 17^th September, 2012.