Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (MSP)

Mangalore, Jun 4: Congress party has urged Mangalore city corporation as well as the state government, to withdraw the self assessment scheme (SAS) of property tax and additional cess being levied on water bills. It also demanded putting on hold recovery measures employed for recovering these amounts.

Congress partly vehemently opposes the corporation's act in implementing the unscientific SAS in Mangalore city corporation. If this is not withdrawn, the Congress will picket the city corporation office and organize other forms of protest against the corporation administration headed by the BJP and also the state government, said Dakshina Kannada district unit vice-president of Congress party, Ivan D'Souza, at a press conference organized in the city on Tuesday, June 3.

We welcome the call the elected MLA N Yogish Bhat had given to the city residents during his electioneering, not to pay tax under the SAS. Congress party will move resolutions in the next council meeting towards implementing our present demands and to stop reovery of taxes at the revised rates, he explained.

The efforts being made by the corporation to pass on the burden of repaying of loan with interest, taken from ADB, to the people, is totally unwarranted and not welcome. We will protest tooth and nail against this move, D'Souza warned.

'My party also demands laying of ring road, well-equipped bus stand, creation of parking zones to mitigate parking problem, widening and concreting of the city roads etc for developing the city,' he said.

Ex-mayors Shashidhar Hegde and K Ashraf and opposition leader in the city corporation Harinath Jogi were present at the press conference.