Sambalpur, Nov. 26: The municipal corporation will collect user fees from houses that have been built on government land in the city limits.

The Sambalpur Municipal Corporation's deputy commissioner Sudhansu Bhoi today said: "They are availing themselves of the services provided by the civic body. Hence, we have taken a decision to collect user fees from those households.

The decision has been taken to generate revenue for the corporation. It will be able to undertake several projects in the city limits from the revenue generated."

He said the corporation was yet to take a decision on the amount to be collected as user fees.

Sources in the corporation said there were 72,000 households in the civic body area. In addition to this, nearly 15,000 households do not have patta (legal ownership record) of the land owned by the government.As they do not have patta, they do not pay the holding tax, which is a major source of income for the corporation. "They use the services provided by the municipal corporation. But, they do not pay any fee for it. The corporation will collect charges for the services through user fees," said an official.

The city was upgraded to a municipal corporation in 2014. It includes places such as Burla, Hirakud and at least 53 villages located near the city. However, the civic body is yet to provide basic amenities to many areas in the city limits due to scarcity of funds. Many areas of the city are yet to get good roads, street lights and water supply.

The residents have welcomed the decision. "Everyone staying within in the corporation limits and using the services provided by the civic body should pay charges for it. They should take part and contribute for the city's development. The decision to introduce user fees is praiseworthy," said local resident Seshadev Dash.