Cases against 147 individuals for defaulting ₹2.39 cr in property tax

From April 1, 2024, to July 31, the PMC property tax department received 1,938 cheques with a total defaulting amount of ₹8.34 crore

Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) last week issued directions to lodge criminal cases against property tax defaulters who have been accused in cheque-bouncing cases. The PMC has issued notices to 147 such individuals and in case of failure to clear the dues, criminal cases will be lodged against them. The action came after the property tax department processed the cheques, and most of them were dishonoured.  

Out of the total figure, 147 individuals owing property tax dues worth ₹2.39 crore have been found defaulting. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

From April 1, 2024, to July 31, the PMC property tax department received 1,938 cheques with a total defaulting amount of ₹8.34 crore. Out of the total figure, 147 individuals owing property tax dues worth ₹2.39 crore have been found defaulting. The PMC has issued a notice under section 138 of the Bombay Provincial Municipal Corporation Act (BPMC). If the defaulters fail to pay the amount, then they will have to face criminal prosecution and likely two years imprisonment. Of the total property tax deposits, eighteen to twenty per cent is from cheques. 

Reacting to the development, PMC property tax department deputy commissioner Madhav Jagtap said, “It has come to our notice that to prevent sealing of property, cheques are issued with wrong signatures and other anomalies which are deliberately kept so that the defaulters get time to hold on. They do it despite there being no sufficient funds in their accounts,” he said.