Panvel civic body serves 108 attachment notices to property tax defaulters

The civic body had published a list of 101 industrial, 107 non-residential and 100 residential defaulters in newspapers earlier this month. It has identified 3.5 lakh properties in all the four wards in its jurisdiction, of which 77,000 property owners have paid their taxes. The remaining 2.80 lakh defaulters are now on the PMC radar

PANVEL: The Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) has served 108 attachment notices in the last two days to property tax defaulters as part of its crackdown, and the move has started yielding results. The defaulters have started clearing their dues, with the concerned associations assuring compliances by their members.

Navi Mumbai, India - 07 April, 2016 : Panvel Municipal Corporation establishment speeds up – final study meet on April 11 in Navi Mumbai India, on Thursday, April 07, 2016. (Photo by Bachchan Kumar/ Hindustan Times) (Bachchan Kumar)

The civic body had published a list of 101 industrial, 107 non-residential and 100 residential defaulters in newspapers earlier this month. It has identified 3.5 lakh properties in all the four wards in its jurisdiction, of which 77,000 property owners have paid their taxes. The remaining 2.80 lakh defaulters are now on the PMC radar.

The civic body has recovered ₹550 crore in property tax dues since it began its collection. In the present financial year, it has so far collected ₹262 crore and ₹7 crore since it started issuing the notices this month. “The PMC has been regularly giving incentives to residents and appealing to them to pay their taxes,” said municipal commissioner Ganesh Deshmukh. “Enough time has been given, and it is time now to take action against the defaulters. We have hence started attachment proceedings.”

Forty-eight attachment notices were issued on Monday and 60 on Tuesday to all the wards. These included 33 notices to non-residential defaulters in Kharghar and two to industries besides nine to residential defaulters in Kamothe. In New Panvel and Khanda colony, notices were issued to 25 defaulters, four commercial defaulters in Panvel, 13 industries in the MIDC area and 15 commercial establishments in the Kalamboli marble market.

Explained Deshmukh, “There is a provision in the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act which gives power to the civic body to seize or attach moveable and immovable properties and then auction them to recover the tax dues. We have decided to use these powers to recover the dues.”

Deshmukh said that no transactions on the properties would now be permitted, and stickers declaring this had been pasted on the properties of the major defaulters. “They have been given seven days to pay their dues,” he said. “Thereafter, we will issue warrants through the four ward officers.”

The action is yielding results. Following the attachment notices served to the defaulting units in the Jawahar Cooperative Industrial Estate in Kamothe, the office-bearers held a meeting with PMC officials. “They have assured us that their units will be encouraged to clear the dues at the earliest,” said Deshmukh. “There is compliance at other places as well. During one such attachment and seizure, an establishment in Kharghar paid up dues of ₹10 lakh.”

The municipal commissioner said that the PMC had been regularly creating awareness on the importance of paying property tax through loudspeaker-fitted auto rickshaws that moved around in all the wards. “Residents are informed that delay in payment leads to a 2% hike in the amount every month and hence they should pay at the earliest,” he said.

BOX

HEAD: 152 cr due from Taloja industries, TIA laments PMC services

A hundred and one industries located in the Taloja MIDC belt owe ₹151.67 crore in property tax to the PMC. Forty-five of these units owe over ₹1 crore. The minimum tax due from a defaulting unit mentioned in the list published is ₹52 lakh while the highest is ₹9.14 crore.

Commenting on the PMC warning, Satish Shetty, president of the Taloja Industries Association (TIA), said, “Right from the time property tax bills were raised by the PMC, TIA has requested its members to pay up. At the same time, TIA approached CM Eknath Shinde and requested him to reduce the dues. Subsequently, municipal commissioner Ganesh Naik allowed 12% (10% direct discount+2% online discount) to the industries, and we were also given extended time for payment. But the PMC has now informed us that it may start attaching industrial properties over non-payment of taxes.”

Shetty said that industries that wanted to take up the matter of property tax payment legally could do so but TIA had suggested that they pay the taxes first. “This will ensure that they are not charged interest and penalty and are not labelled as defaulters,” he said.

Expressing disappointment at the services rendered by PMC, Shetty remarked that the PMC was not providing even minimal services like garbage collection, cleaning of roads and river-cleaning in return for taxes. “The mandatory garbage collection facility is below par, as there is a shortage of garbage vans, and sanitation staff is inadequate, leading to fewer visits to the industrial area,” he said. “Our members strongly believe that the services of PMC leave a lot to be desired.”