India News | Two Bills Tabled in Karnataka Assembly

Bengaluru, Jul 22 (PTI) The Karnataka government on Monday tabled a Bill in the Legislative Assembly that aims to prevent illegal tapping of water from irrigation canals and to ensure water reaches the end user.

Another Bill that seeks to impose a fine and imprison municipal officials who fail to collect property tax dues, was also tabled in the Assembly.

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The Karnataka Irrigation (Amendment) Bill that was tabled by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also the Water Resources Minister, proposes a fine of Rs 2 lakh, up from Rs 1,000 earlier, and imprisonment of up to two years, up from one year earlier, for siphoning off water from irrigation canals.

According to the Bill, violation amounts to -- piercing or cutting through canal or pipe, inserting pipe by piercing or cutting canal or putting engine or any other equipment in canal causing damage to the stability or safety of the canal.

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Introduced by Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh, the Karnataka Municipalities and Certain Other Law (Amendment) Bill has provisions to levy a penalty on officers.

According to the Bill, "Any officer or employee of the municipality who fails to collect property tax dues under assessment of property tax or any financial causes to the municipality, shall be fined up to Rs 50,000 in each case and may also be punished with simple imprisonment for 15 days."

It also has a provision empowering municipalities to collect property tax from unauthorised buildings constructed in violation of by-laws, or on unauthorised layouts, revenue land, those occupied without occupancy or completion certificates and so on.

Such properties will have to pay double the property tax payable for the first year.

The Bill further states that property tax levy is exempted for buildings constructed illegally on government land or land belonging to any local body, statutory body or an organisation owned or controlled by the government.

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