Thiruvananthapuram: The annual conference of district collectors held here on Tuesday decided to provide special funds to districts which strengthen the collection of tax arrears.
The collectors have been given charge of coordinating the works of the police and excise to ensure effective implementation of prohibition policy and strengthening service delivery mechanism.
The meeting decided to lift the ban on sand mining in 20 rivers and expedite the distribution of title deeds. The districts which came in the top three positions in tax collection will get Rs 1 crore as incentive, Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash told reporters here.
The money can be used for infrastructure development of collectorates, taluk offices and village offices. All districts will be provided Rs 25 lakh as impulse fund for emergencies and Rs 20 lakh for purchase of vehicles for officials on enforcement duty.
The one-time building tax paid to local bodies should be provided soon after the completion of the building. This will be made mandatory for getting house numbers and electricity connection.
Till now, the tax was to be paid only after getting the house number, said Mr Prakash. The collectors should also mobilise the maximum lease rent arrears before December, Mr Prakash said.
They should adopt stringent measures, including revenue recovery, to step up tax collection. Guidelines had been issued on granting and vacating stays on revenue collection. Efforts would be taken to clear the stay orders by courts, Mr Prakash said.
