3 government offices face Mohali MC’s ire

Akash Ghai

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Tribune News Service

Mohali, November 21

Perhaps for the first time, the Mohali Municipal Corporation has attached the headquarter premises of three government offices —the Punjab School Education Board, the Punjab Rural Development and Panchayat Department and the Punjab Mandi Board and a private club, the Mohali Club, for the non-payment of over Rs 3 crore as property tax.

The property tax was imposed in Mohali in 2013-2014.Orders for attaching the properties were issued on Friday by sending a notice under Section 138C of the Punjab Municipal Act 1976 for not filing the property tax return for 2013-14 by the government departments and the private club.

Sources said the defaulters had been given 30 days deadline for paying the dues, which included property tax, penalty and interest, now. “In case of failure to meet the deadline now, the properties in question will be sealed in the next step and the due amount will be recovered by sale of the said property as per the provisions of the Act”, said a senior official of the MMC.

The PSEB runs its head office at Phase VIII, while Punjab Rural Department’s office is located in Vikas Bhawan in the same area. Both the Mandi Board Office and the Mohali Club are located in Phase 11.

The first notice in this connection was sent to the defaulters in question in mid-September by the MMC authorities.

It is to be noted that the MMC has found itself hapless when it comes to recovering tax from the government departments.

The sources further said no government departments (which runs their offices in huge buildings in the town), except the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority, had paid tax to the MMC. “The Punjab Police, which occupies at least 10 buildings, including the Punjab State NRI Police Wing at Phase VII, the Punjab State Cyber Crime Police Station at Phase IV, the EO Wing at Phase VI, the Vigilance Bureau Police Station at Sector 68, the Police Lines and at least four police stations, are also defaulters in this matter. No property tax has been paid of the DC Complex (the old building of the Punjab School Education Board), which houses the offices of the Mohali Deputy Commissioner, Additional Deputy Commissioners, Senior Superintendent of Police, Superintendents of Police, District Transport Officer, Sub-Divisional Magistrate and other senior administrative officials. 

The MMC has not served notices of attachment on the properties of the Punjab Police and the DC Complex as they have sought some time period for depositing their dues, said the sources.

It is to be noted that these departments have not paid even a single penny since the imposition of property tax here last year and the total outstanding amount against these departments is said to be over Rs 3 crore. 

Apart from government offices, the MMC has issued over 10,000 notices to other defaulters, including private property owners so far.