PCMC to offer 50 % exemption to societies opting for water recycling and zero garbage
Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has recently put up a proposal in the general body offering 50 percent exemption to societies opting for water recycling and introducing zero garbage management. The proposal states over 20-50 percent exemption in the property tax to only those societies who initiate the zero garbage model and sewage treatment plant. These societies will also get a rebate in the cleaning tax upto 50 percent. The proposal was recently put up in the general body.
As per the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, it states that the societies / organizations initiating such eco friendly projects should be provided with relief in general tax. The proposal in PCMC was tabled by the health and sanitation department and approved by the PCMC Commissioner Rajesh Patil on October 9. If this exemption is given to the societies, this will help in further reduction in garbage collection and also cost in collection of the waste.
Rebate in Property Tax :
20 percent concession in Cleaning Tax to those societies having waste disposal projects
30 percent concession to societies having Waste management project and Sewage Treatment plant
50 percent concession to societies having total waste projects, dry waste disposal units and also sewage treatment plants.
“Our society is set in every norm of the concession in the tax but we got it only for one year. The PCMC authorities should form a team to check on societies having such eco-friendly initiatives, ‘ said Santosh Maskar, chairman Roseland Residency.
“If the civic body comes forward for the cause of the environment, we welcome the decision. It will benefit the entire ecosystem. PCMC should provide subsidies to societies who intend to take up such eco-friendly initiatives, as not all societies are financially capable of investing so much money in setting up the infrastructure for the initiatives, ” informed Tejaswini Sawai, Chairman, Pimpri Chinchwad Housing Society Federation.
Commenting on the proposal put forth in the general body meeting, Rajesh Patil, commissioner, PCMC told Pune Pulse, ‘Under the ‘Sustainable Development’ the concept of disposing waste and creating the compost out of it is a necessary thing and to promote this we have initiated this step. We have appointed volunteers who will help societies on how to do composting and will guide them. Every society can afford at least a minimum amount and once they are set in all the norms, they will get the subsidy, it will cover almost 50-60% of the cost. Our volunteers are there to educate.’
When informed about societies not getting tax benefits despite having active waste disposal initiatives, he said, ‘If the society fits all the criterias that are set, we will definitely look into why they haven’t been given the tax rebate. A team of 13 people has been formed which will survey the societies in PCMC limits.”
