MC facing problem of bounced cheques

As many as 27 cheques submitted by taxpayers to the Municipal Corporation have been dishonoured by banks. Despite repeated instances, the Municipal Corporation has failed to initiate decisive action, allowing the trend to continue unchecked. The dishonoured cheques include one from the year 2023 and several from the previous year, while many others are 9 to 11 months old. Together, these cheques amount to nearly Rs 14.21 lakh and come from taxpayers across the city.

Common reasons behind the bounced cheques include insufficient bank balance, blocked accounts, missing dates, signature mismatches and payment stopped by account holders. In several instances, the dishonour appears to be deliberate, with errors intentionally made while filling cheques or payments blocked by the taxpayer.

According to sources, whenever pressure increases on the property tax wing of the MC, the municipal staff collect cheques from taxpayers to show progress. However, many of these cheques later bounce. After the dishonour, officials reportedly did not pursue the matter seriously, resulting in prolonged delays in recovery.

So far this year, the Municipal Corporation has collected Rs 37.65 crore in property tax, with 1.27 lakh returns filed. During the One-Time Settlement (OTS) scheme, the Municipal Corporation collected Rs 35 crore in property tax, including a 10 per cent rebate period that ended on September 30. A total of 1.12 lakh returns were filed under the OTS scheme.

At present, the department is receiving four to five lakh rupees daily, along with 200 to 250 returns. Assistant Municipal Commissioner Vishal Wadhawan stated that instructions have been issued to the staff to recover the dishonoured cheque amounts.