News Detail

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">The Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) is looking for options to raise funds if it has to compensate the private operator that had built the inter-city roads. The civic body has convened a special general body meeting on January 16 to explore the options.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Sources close to the civic administration and the standing committee said the options involved evoking &#39;entry tax&#39; on the vehicles having RTO registration number other than MH 09. Since the earlier land deal created controversy, KMC is keen to avoid any further land offer to the private company against the road construction costs.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">&quot;It&#39;s not possible for the KMC to clear the payment at one go. So the plan is to evoke entry tax for other district vehicles and a loan from banks to make the payment. Such entry tax is in place in Goa. A resolution will be put before the general body addressing the state government and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation,&quot; said a source in the KMC.&nbsp;</span></span></span><span style="color:rgb(105, 105, 105); font-family:arial; font-size:11px; line-height:1.6em">Standing committee chairman Sachin Chavan declined to talk on the toll issue, saying that &#39;the matter was sub-judice.&#39;&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(105, 105, 105); font-family:arial; font-size:11px; line-height:1.6em">&quot;I can say something once the general body meeting decides on the toll issue,&quot; he briefly said.</span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Satej Patil, minister of state for home department, has asked his Congress party corporators to prepare options of payment. &quot;The roads were constructed for the KMC. The civic body does not want toll. So they have to find options. I have advised corporators to take decision in the interest of citizens,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</span></span></span><span style="color:rgb(105, 105, 105); font-family:arial; font-size:11px; line-height:1.6em">He added that the KMC&#39;s resolution, along with the option, will be send to MSRDC minister Jaydutt Kshirsagar for the approval. &quot;The KMC will send its resolution to MSRDC and that will be conveyed to the private company formally,&quot; he said.</span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Patil and state labour minister Hasan Mushrif had on Saturday said no toll will be collected in Kolhapur. However, later it was revealed that the decision increased burden over KMC&#39;s limited revenue sources. The KMC&#39;s own revenue is of INR 280 crore annually and 10% revenue growth is expected each year. However, the private company had already claimed in Bombay high court that the project cost is over INR 500 crore, which means KMC has to pay the amount if it wants to close the toll.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Source-On Request</span></span></span></p>