Haryana: Waiver schemes in House tax, water charges

Chandigarh, Mar 21 (UNI) In order to provide relief to the common people of the state, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today announced a series of waiver schemes in long pending House Tax bills and arrears in water charges.

These schemes included One Time Settlement for providing relief to the tax payers in the payment of long pending House Tax bills and clearance of arrears of water and sewerage charges in all the municipal areas of the state, he said in the state assembly.

The Chief Minister said that under the One Time Settlement Scheme for the clearance of the arrears of the House Tax, if a person makes the payment of the original amount of the tax within a period of three months, he would not be required to pay the interest, surcharge or penalty on the original amount of the bill.

The amount of surcharge, interest or penalty would be deemed to be waived off, if the payment was made within the prescribed period.

He said the State Government had taken the decision after considering the position of recovery of House Tax bills in the municipal areas of the state and had found that large amounts of House Tax bills were pending for recovery since long.

Regarding the clearance of water rate or sewerage charges in all the municipal areas, he said the surcharge on the pending bills would be waived off if the consumer deposits the amount of water rate or sewerage charges bill within a period of three months.

He said similarly, interest and penal interest recoverable under Low Income Group Housing (LIGH) and Middle Income Group Housing (MIGH) schemes had been waived off.

In order to provide relief to the poor loanees of these schemes, the Government has now decided to waive off the interest and penal interest, in case of payment of the principal amounts by the beneficiaries within six months.

He informed the House that LIGH/MIGH scheme had been in operation from 1955 to 1995. As many as 56,680 persons had availed of the loan facility under LIGH and 12,004 persons under MIGH scheme.

The Chief Minister also announced welfare measures to improve the deteriorating financial condition of sugar mills in the state.

He said government loans worth Rs 365 crore pending towards sugar mills would be converted into share capital besides waiving off the interest amount of Rs 153 crore pending towards them.

UNI