The Maharashtra Cabinet officially reinstated the 40% property tax discount for self-occupied properties within the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits on Wednesday.
The move comes as a significant victory for the people of Pune, who had been demanding the reinstatement of the scheme for quite some time.
Chandrakant Patil, the Guardian Minister of Pune, informed the public about the decision. He also expressed his gratitude to CM Eknath Shinde, and DCM Devendra Fadnavis for approving the decision. Patil's statement came after a meeting held in Mumbai where the decision was ratified by the Maharashtra government cabinet.
Shivajinagar MLA Siddharth Shirole also expressed gratitude towards CM Eknath Shinde, DCM Devendra Fadnavis, Chandrakant Patil, and the state Cabinet for ratifying the decision.
Decision got ‘in principle' approval in March
The issue was followed up by opposition and ruling party leaders, who took up the matter with the state government. In March, a delegation of BJP leaders led by Guardian Minister Chandrakant Patil met Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, while NCP legislators Sunil Tingre and Chetan Tupe staged a protest at the entrance of the state legislative assembly in Mumbai during the budget session.
The decision got ‘in principle' approval in a meeting by Shinde and Fadnavis in March. However, the Pune civic body was waiting for the official Cabinet's approval for the same.
The reinstatement of the discount scheme for self-occupied properties in the PMC limits is expected to benefit a large number of residents. The scheme will provide much-needed financial relief to people who have been struggling to pay their property taxes.
Significant move ahead of the crucial PMC Polls
The move is particularly significant as it comes ahead of the crucial local bodies elections, including PMC Polls. All the political parties had taken up the issue after the demands were raised by Pune residents, sensing the importance of the upcoming polls. The decision to reinstate the discount scheme is expected to win the government some support from the residents of Pune, who have been demanding better facilities and services from their local authorities.
The discount scheme was originally introduced by the Pune civic body after the Panshet dam wall burst tragedy and was cancelled in 2019.
