MCG likely to take coercive steps on house tax collection

City denizens residing in privately-developed localities such as DLF, Sushant Lok and in other areas - who already pay maintenance to their respective developers - should now brace up to pay house tax to the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon. Dhananjay Jha reports.

City denizens residing in privately-developed localities such as DLF, Sushant Lok, South City, Ardee City, Sun City, Nirvana Country, Palam Vihar and in other areas - who already pay maintenance to their respective developers - should now brace up to pay house tax to the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG).

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"The government is mulling to take stern measures to collect house tax from those residing within the municipal limits," said a senior MCG official in context of the Gurgaon Citizens' Council (GCC) decision not to pay house tax to the corporation. The GCC represents all privately-developed localities in new Gurgaon.

This is bound to generate much heat in the coming months and as soon as the MCG adopts possible coercive steps which may include disconnecting water, sewer and electricity connections besides, imposition of heavy penalty as defined in the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act-1994.

P Raghavendra Rao, financial commissioner-cum-principal secretary, urban local bodies, Haryana, who held a meeting with local officials at the PWD rest house on Saturday, however, denied commenting on possible coercive steps.

"People are required to follow rules and pay the house tax without forcing the corporation to take coercive measures," said the financial commissioner.

The issue of house tax dues on new Gurgaon residents to the tune of R600 crore since the inception of the corporation in June 2008 was discussed during the meeting on Saturday.

"No one can evade house tax within MCG limits. There are provisions to initiate steps against the defaulters," added Rao.

The GCC has written to Haryana to ask builders to transfer private localities to the MCG.