The newly elected body of the Karnatak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) plans to take several new steps, including setting up a special legal cell on GST-related issues, to benefit its members and city improvement committee and help them contribute towards city development.
Addressing presspersons in Hubballi on Thursday, KCCI president Vinay Javali, secretary Praveen Agadi, joint secretary Shankar Koliwad, vice-presidents B.S. Satish, Sandeep Bidasaria and the former vice-president G.K. Adappagoudar shared their views on leading the representative body of traders and merchants.
Mr. Javali said that after the implementation of GST especially, members of KCCI had faced problems for no fault of theirs because of the harsh penalties incorporated in the GST rules and regulations. “A senior advocate and a former bureaucrat have voluntarily come forward to guide us. While we already have a taxation sub-committee, this proposed legal cell will help in addressing the issues at the appropriate level so that the members are not put to inconvenience because of the rule book attitude,” he said.
Mr. Javali said that in the coming days, KCCI will organise more awareness programmes and workshops on issues related to the new policies and laws related to trade and commerce. Economists will also be invited to address the members, he said.
Petition likely
On the steep hike in property tax in the twin cities, Mr. Javali said that the KCCI is contemplating whether to implead itself in the existing PIL (Public Interest Litigation) petition in the High Court of Karnataka or file a fresh such petition. “We are collecting documents from all local bodies on property tax rates. Such has been property tax hike in twin cities that in some cases, the hike is around 900%. We will fight legally to get it reduced,” he said.
On the weekend curfew and possible lockdown, Mr. Javali said that the KCCI is of the opinion that weekend curfew should be imposed only in places where there are more number of cases. Especially in cities such as Hubballi, which is a hub for distribution, such measures will affect the supply chain itself resulting in further hardships to the general public. Lockdown should be imposed only in an emergency situation, he said.
On the silence of the KCCI over the flyover issue after initial opposition, Mr. Javali clarified that the new body will stand by the decision of the previous elected body which had said that it will welcome the flyover project but that it should be executed after making modifications so that it helped all citizens and the city.
To a query, Mr. Adappagoudar said that the office-bearers will take up lacunae pertaining to the modified plan with the elected members and make efforts toprevail upon them to see that further modifications are made.
Mr. Javali said that soon a multi-purpose exhibition centre will be inaugurated after some redevelopment works. A city improvement sub-committee will also be constituted to take up civic issues and find solutions through collective efforts, he added.
Mr. Satish clarified that the KCCI stood by its earlier decision that the amendments to APMC Act should be repealed as they will create disparities among merchants operating at APMC Yards and outside. The efforts to convince the government of the need to repeal them will continue, he added.
