Firm linked with Manohar Joshi in top tax defaulters' list

Mumbai: In a development that could cause acute embarrassment to the ruling Shiv Sena in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), a construction firm associated with senior Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi has found itself among the top 100 property tax defaulter’s list of the city. The list also includes Vile Parle’s Sahara Hotel, which belongs to Sahara chief Subrata Roy.

The civic body has prepared a list of top 100 people and organisations that have not paid property tax worth Rs 97 crore so far. According to the civic data, property tax of Rs 3.31 crore is pending with the Kohinoor Planet Construction Private Limited. Mr Joshi’s wife Anagha and son Unmesh are on the directors’ board of Kohinoor Planet.

Repeated attempts by The Asian Age to contact officials of Kohinoor Planet Construction were in vain. In addition to this, Sahara Star Hotel has not paid arrears of Rs 4.06 crore, whereas Larsen & Toubro Limited, a prominent company in the city, has also failed to pay property tax of Rs 5.47 crore.

The Apollo Mills, situated at NM Joshi Marg, has topped the list of defaulters with arrears of Rs 28.56 crore, followed by Crown Company (Rs 16.93 crore) and MMRDA (Rs 13.50 crore). There are several prominent developers and construction firms in the list.

“We initially issue a 21-day notice to defaulters, asking them to pay the bills. Later, we serve them another short notice of seven days. Failing to pay property tax bills, we finally discontinue their water supply,” said a senior official from the civic assessment and collection department.

The arrear amount has kept on increasing as most of the defaulters’cases were pending in courts. We take action against them as per the court’s ruling, he added.