Potholes in streets of Bengaluru.
Credit: DH Photo/Janardhan B K
The 'Citizens Group, East Bengaluru' on Sunday started a campaign to boycott paying property tax called 'NoDevelopmentNoTax' because they were fed up with the government's 'indifference' to their requests for better public amenities, including fixing potholes, Times of India reported.
Founder and group member Arif Mudgal, a 32-year-old techie, borrowed Rs 2.7 lakh for the project.
Members of the group came together last week and donated money to fill potholes along a 6km stretch in Halanayakanahalli, Muneshwara Layout, and Choodasandra.
In an interview with TOI, Arif claimed that he recently saw two accidents on Hosa Road, which motivated him to offer assistance.
He stated that he and other "likeminded" individuals founded the "Citizens Group, East Bengaluru" five years ago. “Other members of the group also contributed money and we fixed some potholes,” Arif said. “But we ran out of funds, so I took a loan ” he added.
A group member named Mithilesh Kumar claimed that despite numerous meetings with local residents' representatives to request better roads, drains, and other civic amenities, none of them responded.
“Politicians are indifferent to these issues. They think residents of these areas are from other states or places. So, we have launched a property tax boycott campaign on Sunday,” said Kumar.
The campaign was launched on X (formerly Twitter) with the hashtag ‘NoDevelopmentNoTax’ and Arif said the response, so far, has been good. “Some netizens suggested that we pay the tax and then demand better civic amenities from the government,” Arif said.