Drone survey shows Solan residents owe MC Rs 6.5 crore

Ambika Sharma

Solan, June 18

The Solan Municipal Corporation (MC) has assessed property tax to the tune of Rs 6.5 crore after an exhaustive 10-month drone survey, even as 10 per cent properties were yet to be assessed.

Of the properties yet to be assessed, 442 were found locked and 902 were under-construction buildings in various parts of the city. The team assessing the property tax found several flats closed despite repeated visits. It is a known fact that the flats located in various areas of the city like Railway Road, Deonghat, Mall Road, Shamti, etc were bought by outsiders, who used apartments only for a few weeks in summer. For rest of the year, the flats are unoccupied.

While the civic body will assess the tax after the under-construction buildings are complete, efforts are afoot to trace owners of locked properties. The assessment of such properties will significantly add to the MC’s tax collection.

The tax rates have been notified through e-Sampatti portal of the Urban Development Department, which took into the size, cost and location of the property for assessing the tax.

As per Ekta Kapta, Commissioner, Solan MC, “Those submitting the bill within 15 days will be granted a 10 per cent discount. Besides, residents have been given the relaxation of depositing the tax in two installments. Property owners will be given a three-month window to submit the two installments after issuance of the bill.”

“Online bills will be generated and the property owners will receive a message on their registered mobile numbers about the due amount,” the MC Commissioner added.

Receipt of the tax will boost the finances to the cash-strapped civic body, which is largely dependent on the state and Central grants.

The Solan MC had undertaken a drone-based survey through the Aryabhatta Geo-informatics and Space Application Centre to assess the property tax.

The survey, which began in September 2023, used the unit area method to assess the revised tax.

While majority of the state government offices would be liable to pay the tax, offices of the Central Government have been exempted, as per the norms.

According to the revised rates, tax up to 25 per cent has been imposed on commercial and domestic properties by considering factors like location, structure, age and occupancy of building.

The MC earned Rs 4.73 crore property tax annually under the old rate.

The evaluated tax is being charged from August 4, 2022 to March 2024.

The generation of bills had been delayed by the civic body for two months owing to the Lok Sabha elections, though this did not help the state government muster adequate support in form of votes from Solan town.