Mumbai: After Andheri’s Seven Hills Hospital, several other top corporates and establishments are in line of facing Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s wrath over non-payment of property tax. The civic body is yet to collect property tax arrears of nearly Rs 10,000 crore from various parties.
Last week, the BMC had sealed the administrative office of Seven Hills Hospital in Andheri East, for its failure to pay property tax to the tune of Rs 9 crore. According to civic data, the BMC has a total outstanding of Rs 9948 crore in property tax.
For the speedy recovery, the BMC has made a list of 100 top undisputed defaulters, which contains several corporates, developers, housing societies and other establishments. Many of them have not paid property tax since several years.
Hindustan Composites Limited tops the list with arrears of Rs 29.98 crore, followed by Bharat Diamond Bourse (Rs 25.52 crore) and Lutharia Lachandani (Rs 21.97 crore). Names of Jet Airways (Rs 16.58 crore) and Reliance Industries Ltd (Rs 11.23 crore) also feature in top 10 defaulters.
Out of pending dues of Rs 9948 crore, more than 50 percent amount, which comes to Rs 5,094 crore, has been disputed, which is likely to take a long time for its recovery. In case of remaining amount of Rs 4,854 crore, action can be taken and we have decided to recover it by adopting several measures, said an official from the civic assessment and collection department.
“The disputed bills are the ones, on which concerned parties have taken objection. They have challenged them in courts and hence we cannot take action against them till the court gives it’s ruling,” said Devidas Kshirsagar, assistant municipal commissioner, assessment and collection department.
According to civic officials, the BMC charges two percent penalty in the second year for non-payment of property tax. The water connection is severed and properties are sealed if arrears are not paid for several years.
“We are planning to take such drastic measures in case of other defaulters too if they do not pay pending dues at the earliest,” said Mr Kshirsagar.
