No concessions for senior citizens, says broke BMC

The cash-strapped Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will not be doling out concessions in taxes to senior citizens.

The demand, which was put forth in 2006 by Shiv Sena’s leader in BMC Sunil Prabhu, was shot down by corporators as they felt that the concessions would be misused and they would further worsen the corporation’s financial health.  

The civic administration thought over the proposal but finally decided to scrap it. Prabhu had made the demands saying that senior citizens face a lot of problem and so it was the BMC’s duty to give them concessions on civic services. He had demanded that senior citizens be given free medical services and also a 5% rebate on property tax.  

While turning down Prabhu’s demands the civic administration stated that senior citizens already get all services free of cost in civic hospitals. Also the civic body flatly refused to give rebate in property tax. “Services currently provided by the BMC are enough and there is no need to change them. The civic body can’t give any rebate to senior citizens on property tax,” an official from the finance department said.

The BMC is already facing a financial crunch and property tax is the second major source of income, after octroi, for the civic body, the official added.

“Almost 60% of the homes in city have at least one senior citizen. If the BMC starts giving rebate to senior citizens on property tax, many people may misuse the facility. Homes might be transferred in the name of senior citizens to avail of the rebate,” said Ashish Shelar, BJP leader in the BMC.

“For the lonely senior citizens, there are many schemes that are being already run by the BMC with help from the state and central government.”