With an aim to help Delhi win the World Heritage City tag, the North Corporation today exempted all heritage buildings and land in its area from property tax.
The announcement was made by Municipal Commissioner of North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) Praveen Gupta in the Budget speech, a news that is likely to bring cheers to history aficionados in the national capital.
The day incidentally also coincided with the first day of the World Heritage Week, celebrated from November 19-25.
"With an aim to get Delhi the tag of a Heritage City, the corporation under the Section 115 (1)(IV) of the DMC Act in September made heritage buildings and lands, exempt from property tax.
"This decision will greatly benefit old buildings falling in northern part of the city, especially the Civil Lines area," Gupta said.
A UNESCO team had visited the capital last month to examine the city's bid to earn the World Heritage City tag.
A sum of Rs 2.06 crore has also been alloted for restoration and maintenance of heritage buildings in the historic Hindu Rao Hospital premises, with the help of a consultant, Gupta said.
The Heritage Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, which still oversees the work for all three civic bodies even after the MCD's trifurcation in 2012 had earlier this year had initiated the process of making such properties exempt from property taxes.
"We have initiated the process of upgrading our list of heritage buildings, so that we can identify and assess the status of such structures and work on their preservation plans as soon as possible," member Heritage Committee, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Vartika Sharma had said earlier.
While the MCD has been trifurcated into three municipal corporations -- NDMC, SDMC (South Delhi Municipal Corporation) and EDMC (East Delhi Municipal Corporation), the Heritage Committee, constituted during the unified MCD period is still overseeing the heritage-related work taken up by the three civic bodies.
A large number of heritage buildings fall under the jurisdiction of NDMC, especially the age-old haveli in Walled City and colonial-era bungalows in Civil Lines area. Some of the buildings have also been awarded by the DDA under its 'Delhi Urban Heritage Foundation' scheme.
Noted among the heritage properties in the NDMC area are St James' Church, old St Stephen's College building at Kashmere Gate, Lothian cemetery, Sultan Singh Building, Town Hall and havelis like Chunamal ki Haveli, Khazanchi ki Haveli, Namak Haram ki Haveli and other lanes and bylanes of old Delhi.
