The Badami Bagh Cantonment Board (BBCB) has allegedly started imposing property tax in areas under its jurisdiction in Srinagar city.
Locals from the Sonwar, Indra Nagar, Batwara areas in Srinagar city have reported that they have received tax bills for the present year on their residential properties.
According to the latest report by Kashmir Life, the BBCB has issued these bills under the ‘Section 66(a) Cantonment Act 2006’.
The locals have said that higher taxes have been imposed on the commercial properties in the area.
A local says, “I received a bill of Rs 25000 for the period beginning from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022.” Although, he said that the quality of the civic facilities provided by the board was pathetic.
The locals have said that they will not pay tax on the properties they have bought through their hard-earned money and that “No part of Srinagar or any other area of Jammu Kashmir pays any tax on their own properties. This is a new gift after the abrogation of article 370.”
The locals also alleged that back in December 2019, the BBCB had sent some officials to their area, asking them to vacate the 500-meter radius area around the cantonment area, because they were willing to buy it. They say that they have decided to go to court back then.
“They backed down after we decided to not budge,” said a local.
They have also said that the BBCB had been charging them sanitation fees for years although the civic amenities in the area continue to be in a bad condition.
The Jammu Kashmir administration had earlier, in the month of February this year, issued a notification imposing property tax through the urban local bodies, including the municipal Corporation and other committees, in their respective areas across the Union Territory
Although, after some public outcry, the administration stated that the tax is not being imposed immediately.