Panipat MC prepares list of 3,700 property tax defaulters

Mukesh Tandon

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Panipat, December 14

Taking note of the slow pace of recovery of property tax, the local Municipal Corporation (MC) has prepared a list of 3,700 defaulters who owe it over Rs 232 crore. The MC has begun serving notices on defaulters to pace up the recovery process.

The MC has served notices on top 82 defaulters who owe approximately Rs 70 crore property tax and also government departments who owe Rs 12.90 crore to the MC. The MC had fixed the target of recovering property tax of Rs 40 crore in the current financial year 2022-23, but was able to recover only 10 per cent of the target i.e. only Rs 4 crore, so far.

Sources said Rs 232 crore was the outstanding arrear till March 31, 2022 in the records of the MC, which was not deposited by the residents for the past many years.

A private company, Yashi Consulting Services Private Limited, had conducted a property survey and the survey was uploaded on the NDC portal of the ULB Department. As per the newly conducted survey, there are 1.73 lakh units in Panipat of which 90,756 are residential, 15,430 commercial, 7,115 industrial, 35,432 vacant plots, 20,292 mix-use plots, 493 towers and 829 institutional units while, according to the old survey, only 1.43 lakh units were registered in the MC record.

Not only the residential units, but private shops, showroom owners, industrialists, shopping mall owners and also several government departments are big defaulters who have not paid property tax for the past many years, the sources added.

Besides,tension of the residents and the MC officials increased after the survey report was uploaded on the NDC portal. As per the sources, the data of approximately 70, 000 properties were mismatched. Even several approved localities had been shown as unapproved localities in the city.

Samaypal Singh, Zonal Tax Officer (ZTO), said a list of defaulters had been prepared and notices were being served on them. Notices had been served on top 82 defaulters against whom Rs 70 crore was pending while the process was on to serve notices on all others.

The government has announced a 100 per cent interest waiver scheme for the people till December 31. The people should deposit their dues, the ZTO said.

People should avail waiver scheme

The government has announced a 100 per cent interest waiver scheme for people till December 31. They should deposit their dues by then. — Samaypal Singh, zonal tax officer