WB to request other districts to waive tax for blue buildings

West Bengal government will request municipalities in other districts to follow Kolkata Municipal Corporation's decision to waive property tax for residential buildings painted in blue and white, a state minister today said.
"We cannot force the municipalities to implement this, but we will surely request them to think in this matter. There is a lot of calculation required regarding this. We also need to see whether people can afford this or not," Municipal Affairs and Urban Development minister Firhad Hakim said when asked.
In fact, the proposed ten smart cities in the state would also be painted in blue and white, the minister said.

"Painting a city is not only done for its beautification but also to protect its buildings from damage. Because the weather in our region contains much moisture and if you don't paint your buildings at regular intervals they will erode," Hakim claimed.
"We are using blue because it keeps our mind fresh," he said.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) earlier had decided to promote the colour in the city with the state government painting all its properties white with streaks of blue on it.
The civic body has proposed to waive property tax for one year for residential buildings painted in blue and white.