Ahead of the civic elections due early next year, the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has passed a resolution to waive the property tax of houses measuring up to 500 square feet in the city limits.
The resolution was passed during the general body meeting of the civic body held on Thursday, where the members were present in-person. Mayor Naresh Mhaske presided over the meeting.
The resolution will now be forwarded to the Maharashtra government for approval, only after which the decision can come into force.
The mayor termed the move as "historic", while BJP leader Manohar Dhumbre dubbed it as a "poll gimmick" as the civic elections just a few months away.
The Shiv Sena, which rules the TMC, had promised in its poll manifesto before the last civic election that if it is returns to power it will waive the property tax of houses up to 500 sq ft.
During the meeting, the mayor also ordered the TMC administration to maintain a database of all the civic properties and ensure that none of them are grabbed by private persons.
The issue came up for discussion after Shiv Sena member Gurmukh Singh Gyan sought to know the ownership of a garden in Wagle Estate, which was beautified by the civic body at a cost of Rs 5 crore.
The officials told the house that they were unaware of the ownership of the garden.
Civic body elections in Thane are due in February-March next year.
