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PMC property tax dept reveals ₹5,182 crore in arrears from 1,746 defaulters
Efforts should focus on recovering dues from defaulters not involved in court cases. Priority should be given to the 1,746 major cases for maximum recovery, says activist
According to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) property tax department, there are 1,746 defaulters owing over one crore rupees, totalling ₹5,182 crore. Of the 1,746 cases, 94 are in court with ₹988 crore held up which includes ₹565 crore from just two cases. Additionally, there are 1,061 cases related to mobile towers with ₹2,427 crore held up. Meanwhile, civic activists are criticising the PMC for focussing on small defaulters instead of recovering from the significant ones.
This apart, there are 184 properties involved in ‘double’ taxation with dues amounting to ₹576 crore and 193 cases labelled as ‘disputes’ with ₹561 crore held up. Immediate action is needed to address these disputes and recover the funds, especially the ₹79 crore owed by the defence department and the ₹56 crore owed by the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL).
Furthermore, ₹73 crore in arrears from the irrigation department must be recovered from the water bills given to the PMC water supply department. Despite being notified five years ago, no action has been taken.
Vivek Velankar, civic activist, said, “These cases have been pending for years, reflecting a failure in legal proceedings. To address this, the PMC law and property tax department should establish a special cell to expedite these cases. If even half of the cases are resolved in favour of the PMC, it could earn ₹1,800 crore.”
“Efforts should focus on recovering dues from defaulters not involved in court cases. Priority should be given to the 1,746 major cases for maximum recovery. Rather than allocating resources on recovery from small defaulters, efforts should be made to recover from these significant defaulters,” he said.
Kunal Khemnar, additional municipal commissioner, PMC, said, “We have decided to target big defaulters to collect the dues. From Monday, we are going to play a musical band in front of the defaulters’ properties. Till date, we have collected more than ₹8 crore.
The PMC’s innovative approach is aimed at ensuring collection of outstanding property taxes. Property tax dues total ₹8,000 crore. Other than court cases, double taxation, demolition of property, we have identified around ₹5,000 crore worth of dues that we can recover. We are also trying to resolve property tax-related disputes in the Lok Adalat.”
“The PMC has set a target of ₹2,400 crore for property tax recovery in the current financial year. So far, we have successfully recovered ₹2,000 crore. We have given a target to the property tax department to collect ₹15 crore of arrears per day,” Khemnar said.
