BATHINDA, April 17 -- Bathinda municipal corporation authorities have stoked a controversy after the pending property tax of Rs.84 lakh of a shopping mall was waived in the general house meeting on April 7.

A delegation of Congress councillors, led by the senior deputy mayor Ashok Kumar, submitted a complaint to the Bathinda deputy commissioner on Tuesday against the alleged favouritism to the new owners of the mall by the local body authorities.

Management of the Peninsula Mall owed Rs.1.78 crore, including Rs.6.84 lakh interest, Rs.19.51 lakh penalty, Rs.4.36 lakh fire cess, and Rs.1.74 lakh cancer cess since 2015.

Located on the Bathinda-Amritsar national highway, the mall was promoted by a Delhi-based HBN Dairies and Allied Limited...