In a blow to state BJP leaders; NCP wins Aurangabad and Pune ... PG 04 << VIEWS & VISION OF CITY Volume: 12, Issue: 100 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 05, 2020, MUMBAI 12 Pages, ₹2 /- RNI No. MAHENG/2009/29332 www.afternoonvoice.com Sunil Dhamne, deputy municipal commissioner said “The property tax bills will be delivered as soon as possible, the notices will be sent within a fortnight and there won't be any early bird scheme as hardly four months are left in the financial year." A d d i t i o n a l C o m m i s s i o n e r P Velrasu said that “the BMC will not be able to give any exhumations this year in property Even injured knees tax. Last year, the corporation delayed sending bills due to did not stop ambiguity over taxes for smaller homes. There are around 4.20 lakh Varun Dhawan from property tax payers in the city, including 1.36 lakh having homes acing his step ... measuring less than 500 sqft. Bills << PG 12 to these homes weren't dispatched There are around 4.20 lakh last year. As per a Government Resolution (GR) in 2019, only the general tax component in property tax can be waived off. So BMC has property tax payers in Mumbai decided to issue bills by deducting the general tax component for Newsmakers Bureau lockdown started in March, for the current year from houses measuring less than 500 afternoon_voice various groups and political everyone, including houses square feet.” leaders demanded that it be measuring less than 500 square In March 2019, the then BJP his year, the corporation waived off. The BMC wrote to feet. The decision is expected to government approved to amend will issue tax demand the state's Urban Development create a political row as it was the Property Tax Act to affect the Tnotices to residents department for clarity. An the ruling Shiv Sena which had waiver. But the GR in 2019 only having houses measuring less officer with the assessment and pushed to waive off the tax for amended section 140 (C) of the than 500 square feet. As per the collection department of the smaller houses. There was also a Act, which caters to the general tax estimates of the 2020-21 budget, BMC said that they were hoping demand to waive off property component, merely 10 to 30 per Mamata hits out the civic body should net Rs that the decision will be taken in tax this year due to the cent of the total. The remaining 6,768 crore in property taxes, the monsoon assembly session. pandemic, but the civic body components are water tax, at Centre over Farm which is one-fourth of its total But there wasn't any clarity even d i d n o t r e c e i v e a n y stormwater drainage tax, BMC income. Generally, property tax after that. clarification from the state education cess, state education Bill, says ‘BJP bills are distributed in April and In the present scenario BMC government. As such, it has cess, employment guarantee cess, the BMC announces around 2 is going through a financial decided to collect the tax, tree cess, road tax, etc. The current selling farmers' ... per cent discount for early crisis that is the reason they have which is the second-largest government has not taken a << payment. But this year, as the decided to collect property tax source of revenue. decision on the matter yet. PG 05 OLA Cabs, threat and liability to Mumbai uring this COVID19 pandemic, Ola cabs came up with big phone is broken and hence could not navigate to my location. He advertisements showing how safe and secure they are but in gave me his location two minutes away from my gate, Since he was Dreality it's a hazard. Above all the booking experience is two minutes away, I thought I would walk up to his location. He still another challenge; overall the ola has lost its integrity. Today morning, was not there, I cancelled my ride and I was charged for cancelling I booked an Ola auto rickshaw from my place to the office. The app my drive. In this entire process I wasted my 40 minutes and got showed the ride was three minutes away. I waited almost a minute and bullied by Ola and the driver both. did not find him at my location. While tracking, I got to know he hadn't Let us take another scenario if you want to go to place A from B. A moved at all from his initial position. So I give him a call to know his is a hugely populated area where frequency of getting rides is high whereabouts. He told me his net pack finished, that's why I am unable and B is the lesser one. As soon as you book a cab, They ( Ola or to track him; he is right below my building. I rushed down and saw Uber driver) wouldn't call or come to your place, instead they (not Dr.Vaidehi there was no auto. Again I called him and asked his location, he said his CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 afternoonvoice.com/editorial [email protected] afternoon_voice afternoonvoicenews SATURDAY, DECEMBER 05, 2020 Editoritis AFTERNOON VOICE, MUMBAI 02 OLA Cabs, threat and liability to Mumbai << PAGE 1 while driving; instead they keep asking the passenger with enough taxis on their apps, the companies have constantly for guiding them in the right direction, withdrawn most incentives. Some of the drivers will which is very much annoying. eventually have to stop playing their taxis, dashing all) would wait for us to call them, after that they The worst of all experiences is this one I had their entrepreneurial dreams. Already, some have would ask for the location where you need to go and recently - nowadays most of the drivers are not started defaulting on their loans, prompting some after getting to know your location, they would cut allowed to cancel customer's requests more than once lenders to stop new loans to drivers wanting to buy your call saying that they would be coming but after or twice, so they employ a nasty and possibly illegal cars and join the app-based taxi revolution. With the sometime they won't come and ultimately you have tactic to cancel a customer's request - what they do is companies they making losses—then, they are funded no other option than cancelling the ride.(obviously that as soon as they get your request, they drive for by venture capital and expected to make losses. The you can report it to Uber or Ola but if you are going for some distance till your pickup point & input in their companies have other problems as well. The some urgent work then those 30 minutes waiting phone app that they have already picked you up & then companies see their drivers as contractors. The drivers period to reach customer executive or help desk is drive away and disappear. Once you realize this and want to be considered employees. This is true in India task, even if you succeed in reaching them they will press Cancel, you are charged with a Rs. 50/- too; so much for the whole entrepreneurship thing. In render apology for inconvenience and you have to get cancellation charge, which you have to contact the UK, a court has ruled that Uber should recognize ready for another brutal experience. Customer Support and contest with them. its drivers as employees. There are cases in other parts These ola drivers are not limited to cheating clients, Moreover drivers on behalf of partners run most of of the world as well. Recognizing drivers, as they cheat their company too. For example, the cab the Ola cabs, these cars are purchased on car loans for employees would dent the much-vaunted asset-light driver comes to your pick up point. As soon as you get business purchase and owners of the car hardly drive model of these companies. inside the cab he would tell you that I am going to these cars.. About 50% of the cars operating in the city However, as the markets matured, systems for cancel the ride, instead you give me the same amount are at jeopardy of being seized by banks and other holding these companies accountable have become as displayed by Uber or Ola before booking. And now financial institutions, as most drivers are not being stronger. The cab services are gaining ground, as are if I am in a hurry I would do it because I have to reach able to service their debts, which may result in loans pressures on these services to invest in their own my destination as soon as possible. This is one defaults, the pamphlet claimed. It further said that if infrastructure and comply with local norms. As the example but they have their various ways of cheating the demands for better remuneration and improved costs of these changes add on, the balance sheets of people. Irony is that Ola Uber drivers demanding working conditions are not met, the drivers will go on aggregators like Uber and Ola could start looking guaranteed monthly income of 1.5 lacs. Engineering a hunger strike. The drivers alleged that their incomes more and more like those of traditional players, and medico Even highly qualified degree holders have reduced drastically with the taxi-hailing firms making them potentially undifferentiated and don't get this guarantee.