Pics: Umesh Marpalli
Daijiworld Media Network-Udupi (RJP)

Udupi, Feb 29: The district BJP on Monday February 29 held a protest the in city against the proposed hike in business licence fees by the CMC and later disrupted proceedings of the CMC meeting on the same issue.

Former MLA Raghupati Bhat, MCC opposition leader M R Pai, Dinakar Shetty Herga, Yashpal Suvarna, Naveen Bhandary and Vasanthi Shetty participated in the protest among others. The protest was held near Clock Tower.

Raghupati Bhat addressing the protestors said, "We are raising objection because according to the Karnataka Municipality Act 1964 schedule XIII, an advertisement should appear in the newspaper seeking public opinion before the fee is revised. This has to be followed by a waiting period of 30 days for any objection from the public. Only after that can it be presented before the council session meeting. The Act clearly states that the fees collected by the municipality should not exceed Rs 500 per annum. At present, it is proposed to be increased by 300 percent the existing amount."

Later the protestors walked to CMC premises and presented a petition to the CMC commissioner. 

When the CMC meeting started at 10.30 am at Sathyamurthy hall, BJP members disrupted the proceedings for about 40 minutes. They also tore off the tax revision draft.

CMC president Yuvaraj Puttur told the BJP councillors that a special meeting was convened to discuss the revision of licence fees which was not attended by the opposition. Yuvaraj also said that BJP was holding the protest for the 'sake of publicity'.

Dinakar Shetty Herga from BJP said that Congress had promised that it would not hike taxes during its tenure but by hiking taxes it is now inconveniencing common people. Celina Karkada said that the BJP too had made many promises during the general elections like depositing Rs 15 lac to the account of each Indian.

Later it was resolved to discuss the licence fee hike in the next meeting.

The stadium issue was also discussed in the meeting. The opposition complained that there was no stadium in Udupi. "The place which was reserved for stadium has been used to build Bayalu Ranga Mandira at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore and later Rs 98 lac was spent on it. But they charge Rs 18,000 rent for even sports function. The remaining land has been given to officers' club which cannot be used for sports purpose," Yashpal Suvarna said. The meeting decided to send a memorandum in this regard to MLA Pramod Madhwaraj who is also the parliamentary secretary.

The opposition also accused the ruling party of increasing the number of petty traders in the city by issuing licences to them.