Taxmen size up B-school dues

The Indian Institute of Management here is caught in a row, not over admissions but for failing to pay property tax.

The Bangalore City Corporation sent a notice asking the institute to identify the built-up area on its 100-acre campus and explain why it had not paid the tax so far.

The institute argued that since the land was received as a state government grant, it was exempt from the levy.

But the reasoning has not cut much ice with the tax officials. They accused the institute of getting away without paying taxes for years as the campus, on the city’s Bannerghatta Road, was under a panchayat earlier.

After the formation of the Greater Bangalore City Corporation, they said taxes would have to be paid on the built-up area. This includes classrooms, offices, canteen, auditoriums, hostel and staff housing facilities.

The officials recently moved in with machines to measure the area. All that the IIM authorities can do now is to wait for the bill — which could run into a few crores.

Recipe to free choked roads

Too many personal vehicles are choking the country’s roads and worsening pollution, a conference of urban planning experts in the capital concluded this week.

Another key recommendation at the event, organised by the Institute of Urban Transport, was to set up metro transport authorities in cities with a population of over a million to push public-conveyance projects.

“The present land use and transport policies have led to the excessive use of the personalised modes of transportation that causes congestion, pollution and noise,” urban development secretary M. Ramachandran said.

Planning Commission member Anwarul Hoda stressed the need for greater private participation in creating public transport, saying it was the bloodstream of cities.

Tide turns for boating resort

Kanyakumari, Ooty, Madurai Rameshwaram… tourists to Tamil Nadu have another hotspot lined up this season.

The latest addition to the state's scenic spots is Pichavaram, the mangrove-ringed boating resort 10km from the famous temple town of Chidambaram in Cuddalore.

Unknown to many visitors so far, the place has been given a makeover by the Kille panchayat, in the village where it is located, at a cost of Rs 50 lakh to improve facilities.

Pichavaram, like Kanyakumari, is also at the edge of land from where one can catch a glimpse of a breathtaking sunrise — a ball of fire emerging from the Bay of Bengal.

To make it convenient for visitors to watch the dawn spectacle, lodging facilities have been improved at MGR Thittu, a nearby islet where tourists can stay overnight. The mangroves had saved several villages from the December 2004 tsunami in Cuddalore.

Now, as many of those devastated by the killer waves pick up the pieces of their lives, the mangrove-lined backwaters are helping bring in cash from the tourists.

Auto lanes off

The exclusive auto (three-wheeler) lanes on Bangalore’s roads will soon be removed in zones where there is enough space.

The lanes, which had drawn howls of protest from three-wheeler operators who felt they were being targeted, had left more room for bigger vehicles and eased traffic flow. The measure has been especially effective in the Majestic area, in the heart of the city.

Delhi: Old Raja Nand is about to die but wants to donate his money, property and cows to a Brahmin. Then, the Brahmin hears of the king’s death. Watch the hilarious Raja Zinda Ho Gaya this Saturday at Poorva Sanskritik Kendra in Laxmi Nagar. Time: 7pm. Entry free.