Govt depts owe Panipat MC Rs 54 cr

Mukesh Tandon

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Tribune News Service

Panipat, February 3

Following the Chief Minister’s instructions, the local municipal corporation (MC) has taken steps to raise revenue. It has demanded Rs54 crore from three departments — Rs20 crore from Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN), Rs17 crore from Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) and Rs16.9 crore from the Finance Department, pending for the last many years.

The MC is generating revenue from property tax, licence fee, malba fee, fire call charges, development charges, shop rent, fire tax, dead animal auction, road cut fee, composition fee, advertisement site auction and mobile tower installation fee. It has a share in revenue of other departments such as the UHBVN, HSVP and Finance Department.

Accounts officer KK Jain said the MC had a share of 2 per cent in electricity bills collected by the UHBVN, 50 per cent in margin of auction by the HSVP, 75 per cent in composition fee of the HSVP and 2 per cent in stamp duty on sale deeds.

As per record, Rs20 crore was pending with the UHBVN till November 30, Rs17 crore with the HSVP and Rs16.9 crore with the Finance Department, he said.

Sources said revenue and expenditure of the MC were equal in the last financial year, but income was gradually decreasing due to non-deposition of property tax by residents and government departments.

Owners of huge buildings, malls and showrooms and government departments were on the list of 360 top tax defaulters prepared by MC around seven months ago. As per that list, around 50 government offices owed the MC Rs42 crore as property tax.

Municipal Commissioner Om Prakash confirmed that they had demanded MC share from the UHBVN, HSVP and Finance Department and written letters to senior officers of the departments concerned.

He said the MC had planned stringent action against top property tax defaulters and their buildings could be sealed for not depositing pending dues while notices would be sent to government departments.