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Panchkula MC starts sealing properties over unpaid tax
Since Wednesday, the Panchkula municipal corporation has sealed four commercial properties in Sectors 11, 14 and 24
Launching a crackdown on property tax defaulters, who owe over ₹50 crore in dues, the Panchkula municipal corporation has started sealing their properties.
Since Wednesday, the corporation has sealed four commercial properties in Sectors 11, 14 and 24.
On Day 1, a team led by executive officer Akash Kumar, sealed Khatani Restaurant in Sector 24 and two SCOs – 43 and 20 – in Sector 11 that owe MC ₹11.70 lakh, ₹17.95 lakh, ₹31.23 lakh, respectively.
Continuing the drive on Friday, the team sealed two floors of SCO 202 in Sector 14 over dues worth ₹9.45 lakh.
A five-day notice was also issued to a mobile engineering company located in IT Park, Sector 22, that has not cleared tax dues worth ₹26 lakh.
Senior MC officials said the shopkeepers were given ample time to clear the dues. “The corporation had launched an awareness campaign and had been requesting people to deposit the property tax. But they did not come forward, leaving MC with no option but to seal the properties,” an official said.
The decision to seal the properties to recover the dues was taken during a Revenue Realisation Committee meeting on August 8 that was chaired by mayor Kulbhushan Goyal.
Over ₹50 crore is due from as many as 1,559 property owners in Panchkula. Among them, 1,411 properties have dues between ₹1 and ₹5 lakh, totalling ₹27.77 crore.
Then 78 properties have dues between ₹5 and ₹10 lakh, amounting to ₹5.62 crore. Lastly, 70 properties owe the civic body over ₹10 lakh, leading to dues worth ₹17.41 crore.
“Properties of defaulters will sealed every day. If needed, help of police will also be taken,” said an MC official, urging people to pay property tax.
Major defaulters
Leading MC’s list of defaulters is Red Bishop Resort ( ₹84 lakh), followed by Gymkhana Club, Sector 3 ( ₹70 lakh), Union Bank of India, Sector 5 ( ₹29 lakh), Confed C-14, Sector 6 ( ₹20 lakh), Mahila Kalyan Kendra, Sector 1 ( ₹16.65 lakh), St Mitchell Smart School, Sector 16 ( ₹11 lakh) and Gymkhana Club, Sector 9 ( ₹11 lakh).
