Mira Bhayandar: 30-100% hike in rent of MBMC community halls

Mira-Bhayandar: Booking Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) owned community halls or grounds for functions will soon get costlier, as civic administration has passed a resolution to approve a hike of 30-100% in rents of such venues in the twin-cities. Staring at empty coffers, the MBMC had recently announced imposing 10% road tax on citizens from Apr 1, 2023. MBMC Commissioner Dilip Dhole has already given his nod to the hike in his capacity as administrator.

As per the resolution, the Community Hall (Nagar Bhawan) in Bhayandar (West) – the most popular venue for receptions and other ceremonies – which was available for Rs7,000 (non-air-conditioned) and Rs10,000 (air-conditioned) will now cost Rs10,000 and Rs12,500, respectively. “The rents had not been revised for the past several years. However, despite the hike, our rent rates are still on the lower side as compared to other municipal corporations. Furthermore, the hike was necessitated and inevitable as per tax reforms and revenue augmentation to avail grants and funding for several key projects,” said city engineer Deepak Khambit.

Similarly, the booking rates of other smaller community halls have been doubled from the existing Rs1,500 (non-AC) and Rs3,000 (AC) to Rs3,000 and Rs6,000, respectively. The civic administration has also decided to impose a manifold hike in fees levied for the use of civic properties for shooting television serials and films. While the fee for shoots on roadsides has been increased to Rs35,000, rent rates for civic properties like gardens and playgrounds have been revised to Rs75,000 (below 1 acre) and Rs1.5 lakh (above one acre). Earlier the fees were Rs25,000, Rs50,000 and Rs1 lakh, respectively.

Check on illegal shoots needed

The permissions are tagged with multiple restrictions in order to ensure smooth thoroughfare for citizens at public places like gardens and playgrounds. It has been alleged that the hike will further encourage illegal shoots as bribes are likely to exchange hands for turning a blind eye to the illegal shoots in the twin-cities which have metamorphosed into a production hub for the makers of tele-serials and reality shows.

Published on: Tuesday, January 03, 2023, 08:05 PM IST