Praise for Palava: 66% property tax rebate brings relief to residents

Residents of Palava township, the inaugural integrated township project in Dombivli, can now breathe a sigh of relief as the state government has decided to grant them a significant 66% property tax rebate. Until this decision, the residents had been burdened with double property taxes. Alongside paying fees to the Palava City Management Association (PCMA) for basic amenities and infrastructure, they were also obliged to pay taxes to the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) for the same services. This crucial announcement was made during a meeting convened by Kalyan Lok Sabha MP, Dr Shrikant Shinde, and Ravindra Chavan, the public works department minister and MLA from Dombivli. Notably, Palava township sprawls across thousands of acres in Nilje, Katai, Ghesar, Usarghar, Mangaon, and Hedootne areas. According to a 2016 circular issued by the state's Urban Development (UD) department, integrated townships that provide essential communal amenities such as roads, streetlights, gardens, sewerage treatment plants, solid waste management, and transport facilities are eligible for a 66% rebate in property tax. Palava township's developer already provides these facilities, including their own fire brigade system, without putting any strain on the municipal corporation. Despite this, the residents were not granted a tax rebate until this recent decision.