New Delhi, December 6
Over 40 lakh residents under the jurisdiction of East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) will have to shell out more in the form of education cess and betterment tax with the civic agency introducing new taxes in its annual budget of Rs 11.16 crore for the fiscal year 2013-14.

While presenting the budget, the EDMC Commissioner, SS Yadav, today proposed an increase in property valuation by 1.6 times in all the eight categories of residential properties which will further increase the property tax even though direct raise has not been announced.

The EDMC has proposed minute-based car park rates, which include 50 per cent additional charges in the peak hours between 5 pm and 9 pm and monthly rate from Rs 500 and Rs 1,500.

According to the new proposal, Rs 10 will be charged as parking fee for the first 30 minutes and Rs 20 for 30 minutes to one hour. Between one and three hours, Rs 50 will be charged and thereafter Rs 20 will be charged per additional hour.

Five per cent of the property tax will be levied as education cess and collected along with it. The betterment tax will be levied as ten per cent of the property tax. An amount of Rs 11 crore is expected from this cess during the next financial year and Rs 22 crore from the betterment tax, said Yadav.

The EDMC had also proposed to levy Rs 1,200 per annum as professional tax on wage earners, consultants, insurance agents, businessman and entrepreneurs with earnings between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh per annum. Those who earn more than Rs 10 lakh per annum will have to pay Rs 2,400 per year as professional tax. There is a proposal for electricity tax on power generators of five kw as well.

"The value of the properties is getting increased due to infrastructure development, modern transport facilities and regularisation of colonies. It is proposed to levy 10 per cent of the property tax as betterment tax," he said.

Apart from this, the corporation has announced proposals, including construction of multi-level car parking, municipal schools, mobile medical units, upgradation of maternity homes, establishing CNG cremation ground, construction of one 200-bedded multi-speciality hospital at Karawal Nagar, maternity home at Sonia Vihar and Ayurvedic hospital at Geeta Colony.

New Delhi, December 6
As many as 22 children were rescued from a zari garment industry at Kotla Mubarakpur in south Delhi after a raid conducted by the Labour Department, Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Lodhi Colony of south district and the Delhi police. The raid was conducted after a complaint filed by child rights NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA).

All of them were trafficked from some villages of West Bengal during the span of last two years and were forced into work in inhuman conditions for more than 17 hours a day for no wages.

They were made to live and sleep within the confines of a single room.

"When they were rescued yesterday, many of them were found to be fatigued, indicating that they have been made to work for hours together without anything to eat. One of the children rescued was as young as eight years old while the eldest was 14 years old," said one of the officials involved in the operation.

A 12-year-old child said, "I was brought here by a relative who gave me away to this employer. I work from 9 am till midnight without any wages."

Bachpan Bachao Andolan chairperson R.S. Chaurasia said, "It is unfortunate on the part of the police and the Labour Department that children in large numbers are still working in unregistered factories and shops in residential areas.

“It shows that a lot more work is still required to eliminate trafficking and forced labour of children," said the chairperson of Bachpan Bachao Andolan.

New Delhi, December 6
A 27-year-old MBBS doctor, who runs a private clinic in Hari Nagar, west Delhi, rammed his Swift car into two motorcycles one after another in the Dabri area, southwest Delhi, late last night, killing one and injuring four persons.

The doctor, Ashwani Kumar, has been arrested, said a police official. He said that the accused was arrested for rash driving in an inebriated state.

The incident occurred around 1 am. According to the police, Kumar was under the influence of alcohol when the incident took place.

The deceased has been identified as Gauri Shankar, whereas the injured are: Ajit, Dharam Prakash, Lekhraj and Dinesh. They have been admitted to Deen Dayal Upadhaya Hospital.