KCB members demand action against CEO

An incensed Dnyaneshwar Mauli Yadav pointed out the presence of an irate mob which had gathered outside the cantonment board office to protest against the tax increase, demanding an immediate statement from the board president Brig. Suman and action against the CEO for making these statements. He said the members of the assessment committee were being blamed for the increase when it was the administration which was responsible for the blunder.

Dnyaneshwar Yadav, Satish Tyagi and Lt. Col. S J Singh were on the panel who conducted the triennial assessment of the property taxes. Although Brig. Suman explained that he had already publicly apologised for the resolution passed by the board and had promised to re-examine the property taxes issue, Yadav and the other elected members were in no mood to listen and staged a walk-out following the refusal of the president to issue the statement in accordance with the wishes of the members. “Let me read the statement first,” he said.

An upset Tyagi who was the target of the slogans by the crowd gathered outside the cantonment board and Baliram Sawant demanded an enquiry into the reported statements. The members later submitted a letter to the president terming the meeting as `invalid’ quoting the Cantonment’s Act of 1924 which clearly states that an adjourned meeting should be held within a period of seven days, but this meeting was being held almost after a month.

Brig. Suman who met the delegation agreed there may have been some mistake in the assessment of property taxes and promised that corrective measures would be taken. Referring to statements made by some of the speakers, he explained issues like water and power supply were not in the hands of the KCB. However, the board had taken some steps to improve the roads in Khadki.

He explained that many of these issues could not be taken up owing to lack of public support. He cited the instance of the fish and meat market where improvements could not be initiated simply because they were not willing to shift.