Tax defaulters beware: Mumbai civic body seals properties of 7 top offenders

These include Aashiana building on Napean Sea Road, a plot on Aarey Road owned by Sunshine Housing and Infrastructure and Naaz Cinemas on Grant Road.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which is starting to feel the pinch after the abolition of octroi last year, has started a crack down against property tax defaulters on a war footing.

Within the past week, the civic body sealed properties of seven top property tax defaulters. (HT File)

Within the past week, the civic body sealed properties of seven top property tax defaulters. These include Aashiana building on Napean Sea Road, a plot on Aarey Road owned by Sunshine Housing and Infrastructure and Naaz Cinemas on Grant Road.

The highest defaulter - Napean Sea Road’s Aashiyana Building– owes the BMC tax to the tune of Rs7.11 crore. The BMC has sealed a portion of the vehicle entrance to the building. Similarly, Naaz Cinema owes the BMC Rs4.13 crore. The civic body has sealed the entrance to the theatre.

The BMC has approximately Rs8,500crore pending in property tax dues for several years, according to data from its assessment and collection department.

Of this, about Rs4,500 crore is disputed, where the owner has moved the court against the civic body’s claimed property tax amount.

Devidas Kshirsagar of the assessment and collection department said, “The BMC has targeted recovering Rs5,400 crore property tax by the end of 2018. Even though Rs4,000 crore is the collectable amount at present, the amount of property tax dues gets updated every day, and can differ daily, on the basis of disputes resolved in the area, new disputes that arise, and properties that clear their dues. So, we hope to meet our targets.”

In 2017, the civic body managed to collect approximately Rs4,800 crore of property tax dues, Kshirsagar said.

However, owing to increased efforts this year, it has already managed to collect Rs3,700 crore till February-end. Action taken by the BMC intensifies with increasing time period of pending dues for any property.

The primary action involves sending a notice, followed by three reminders.

After this, the BMC initiates cutting off water supply to the property. The last step involves sealing off the property.