Mangaluru City Corporation approves new waste processing facility and reviews property tax guidelines

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Sept 1, 2024: The Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) council has approved a proposal to establish a material recovery facility (MRF) for the scientific processing of dry waste across its 60 wards.

The MRF, part of the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 11.04 crore. The MCC will contribute Rs 5.94 crore, with the remainder funded by the state government and the Centre. The government approved the detailed project report for the facility on May 30. The MRF will have a processing capacity of 109 tonnes per day. The project includes Rs 8.55 crore for civil works and Rs 2.49 crore for vehicles and machinery. Key components of the facility will include a weighbridge, trommel, conveyor, magnetic separator, air blower, automatic horizontal baling machine, shredder, storage bins, baler machine, fire-fighting equipment, electrical equipment, electric forklift, and tractor with a loader, according to Chief Whip Premananda Shetty.

Mayor Sudheer Shetty Kannur announced that the MCC has formed a committee to review the new guidance values established under the Karnataka Municipal Corporations (KMC) Act amendment of 2021. The committee, led by the mayor and comprising senior corporators, has held an initial meeting and plans to convene another. A proposal will then be submitted to the state government seeking a reduction in property taxes.

During the meeting, Corporator Naveen D’Souza raised concerns about discrepancies between maps prepared under the Nirmala Nagara Yojane and property cards, questioning how streets and properties are identified. He argued that it is inappropriate to use the guidance value of main roads for interior mud roads when calculating property taxes and called for a more scientific approach to property tax assessment.