Civic bodies to embark on a drive to realise dues from property owners

At least five lakh property owners who had been were not paying conversion and regularisation charges to the short-staffed MCD will have to cough up all their dues as the three new corporations have decided to embark on a massive recovery drive starting August. Hamari Jamatia reports.

At least five lakh property owners who had been were not paying conversion and regularisation charges to the short-staffed MCD will have to cough up all their dues as the three new corporations have decided to embark on a massive recovery drive starting August.

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Those who fail to pay will have to watch their properties get sealed.

The corporations will send out notices for conversion charges, regularisation of unauthorized construction and change of property use from industrial to commercial.

In east Delhi, the civic body has taken details of number of properties and their usage from the Delhi government's GeoSpatial Delhi Limited that had conducted a survey in this area. South and north civic bodies have decided to receive details from the discoms and Delhi Jal Board.

"The survey done in east Delhi says that there are 13 lakh properties in the area where as property tax is being paid by just 1.4 lakh. The defaulters that include people who are not paying conversion and regularisation charges and property taxes will be sent notices," said a senior official of East Delhi Municipal Corporation.

In South Delhi alone two lakh properties are expected to be sent notices. Leader of the House Subhash Arya said if all the defaulters paid up, the corporation will earn several crore of rupees. "There are about 100 industrial units and several lakh of unauthorised constructions in south Delhi that should have paid up the fees in March but due to trifurcation many have delayed the payments. They have to be sent notices from August onwards," he said. In north Delhi the drive will begin after July 24 when all the Deputy Commissioners of six zones falling under the civic body will submit a list of commercial establishment on the notified roads that are yet to pay conversion charges.

Conversion charges are to be paid for setting up commercial establishments in residential areas.