Faridabad MC recovers Rs1 cr dues from defaulters

Bijendra Ahlawat

Tribune News Service

Faridabad, May 23

A drive launched by the Municipal Corporation Faridabad (MC) authorities to unearth irregularities in collection of various charges and taxes from defaulters appear to have started yielding positive results. The corporation has received cheques of over Rs 1 crore in the past 24 hours from two units, which were issued notices recently.

It is claimed that many more defaulters were likely to clear their pending dues that had been outstanding for the past several years. “The total amount to be recovered is around Rs 35 crore, if the number of cases under scrutiny is to be believed,” said sources.

Irregularities got unearthed after a special audit was carried out by a team of Auditors accredited to the Institute of Public Auditors of India. It is alleged that gross violations of policies, guidelines and instructions of the government were carried out. ‘Malpractices’ in the collection of composition fee, CLU charges subdivision, external development charges (EDC) and conversion charges for granting permission resulted in the scam, that laid unexposed since 1980.

After partially sealing a five star hotel here for recovering the pending tax of Rs 9.32 crore recently, the civic body authorities on Tuesday issued a similar notice to an automobile company located on the Mathura road for not depositing EDC of Rs 7.80 crore since 2002. It has also issued a notice to a private builder for not paying CLU fee amounting to Rs 4.64 crore and raising a commercial construction illegally in Sector 49. The MCF has already issued notices to around 80 farmhouses developed illegally in the Surajkund area a couple of months back.

Revealing that the two defaulters included a ‘sealed’ hotel and an automobile dealer, who were found encroaching upon the government land in NIT, have come forward to deposit an amount of Rs 60 lakh and Rs 42 lakh, respectively, said Mohammed Shayin, Commissioner, MCF, adding that the two units had agreed to clear their dues.

Claiming that an FIR had been recommended against the officials concerned in eight cases of irregularities that were detected to the tune of Rs 18 crore, RL Rohilla, OSD, Panning Section, said probe was being conducted and the amount involved in the irregularities was likely to increase.

Irregularities unexposed since 1985 

• Irregularities got unearthed after a special audit was carried out by a team of Auditors accredited to the Institute of Public Auditors of India. 
• It is alleged that gross violations of policies, guidelines and instructions of the government were carried out. 
• 'Malpractices' in the collection of composition fee, CLU charges, external development charges (EDC) and conversion charges for granting permission resulted in the scam, that laid unexposed since 1980.