The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has called on the State government to settle outstanding service charges amounting to overRs 7 crore for two major government buildings, Vidhana Soudha and Vikasa Soudha. These arrears have accumulated over the past 15 years, highlighting a significant gap in payments.
Vidhana Soudha owesRs 2.29 crore, while Vikasa Soudha’s dues amount to Rs 5.32 crore. Service charges for Vidhana Soudha were set at Rs 11,10,876 annually from 2008-09 to 2015-16. This amount increased to Rs 13,88,595 from 2016-17 to 2020-21, and further rose to Rs 19,9,704 for 2021-22 to 2023-24. The arrears for Vidhana Soudha now stand at Rs 27,74,984 for the earlier period, increasing to Rs 34,68,730 till 2020-21, and Rs 34,96,480 for the most recent period.
For Vikasa Soudha, the outstanding balance is Rs 5,00,32,962. BBMP has issued several reminders to the government regarding these dues, but payments remain unpaid. A senior BBMP official stated that while government buildings are exempt from property tax under special provisions, they are required to pay service charges. The official emphasized that no exemptions would be granted and that payments must be made promptly.
On February 29, the Department of Personnel Administration and Reforms requested a one-time exemption from BBMP, which was denied. The BBMP official confirmed that strict action would be taken if the arrears are not cleared by the deadline of July 31.
