Take An Aerial Tour Of Chandigarh By Helicopter During The Rose Festival

At the 55th Rose Festival in 2027, tourists may get the opportunity to take an aerial tour of the city via helicopter rides. On Wednesday, the Municipal Corporation House approved a budget of ₹1.32 crore for the three-day event.

The Corporation’s primary objective will be to secure sponsors. If sponsors are found, the event will be organized with their support; otherwise, the Municipal Corporation will cover the expenses from its own funds.

Municipal Commissioner Amit Kumar informed the House that tender documents for the event are being finalized so that the tendering process can commence. If a sponsor is secured, the Rose Festival will be organized with their collaboration; otherwise, the Corporation will conduct the event at its own expense, as per the tender. The House has approved this proposal.

For several years, the Rose Festival has been organized with the support of sponsors and various companies, which ensured that the Corporation did not face any financial burden. On one occasion, the Corporation even saved ₹11 lakh after the event.

This time, despite issuing an ‘Expression of Interest’ for sponsors, no company showed interest. Consequently, the Corporation presented a proposal to the House to allocate ₹132.65 lakh, which was subsequently approved.

The three-day festival will feature a flower exhibition, rangoli displays, floral hat competitions, ‘Rose Prince & Princess’ and ‘Mr. & Miss Rose’ contests, as well as ‘Rose King & Rose Queen’ competitions for senior citizens. Additionally, the event will include folk dances, photography, painting, *antakshari*, and a ‘Rose Quiz’. A helicopter ride is also proposed, offering an aerial tour of the city.

Separate Property IDs Can Now Be Created Upon Payment Of Outstanding Dues

The Municipal Corporation House has also approved amendments to the rules governing the creation of separate, independent property IDs for individual floors of residential buildings. Now, if a building has three different owners for different floors, an individual owner will no longer be required to pay the outstanding property tax for the entire building in order to obtain a separate property ID. Instead, they will be able to apply for a separate property ID by paying only their own share of the outstanding tax.

Furthermore, the consent and signatures of the owners of the other floors will not be required to obtain a separate ID. Currently, under Clause 18 of the Property Tax Bye-laws 2003, a map showing the division of the property signed by all the owners must be submitted. In many cases, this process gets stalled due to disputes between the owners.

During the house meeting, Congress Councilor Gurpreet Singh Gabi argued that if there are outstanding taxes on an entire building, the amount should be apportioned by floor and collected from the respective owners. He stated that it is unreasonable to expect a single owner to pay the tax arrears for the entire building.

Municipal Commissioner Amit Kumar explained that the objective of this amendment is to allow owners of individual floors to pay their own share of the outstanding tax and obtain a separate property ID. However, for commercial and industrial properties, the requirement for the signatures of all owners will remain in place. The house has approved the amendment..