No data of defaulters, yet GHMC fines

Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) that has admitted that it does have not details about the actual number of properties in the city has decided to issue red notices to property tax defaulters and seize all movable properties if they fail to pay up.

Corporation staff said that it would first serve notices and issue warrants seeking clearance of dues within three days. Surprisingly, the civic body claimed that it has been issuing notices to repeated defaulters but it does not have accurate numbers.With about 45 days remaining for conclusion of the financial year, the corporation has set a target of Rs 680 crore against the annual target of Rs 1,800 crore pertaining to property tax. Till date, it has collected Rs 1,120 crore. The estimated dues from repeat defaulters are nearly Rs 400 crore. The list includes star hotels, restaurants, malls, hospitals and even educational institutions. A red notice is a distress warrant that is executed for recovering movable properties under Section 269 (2) according to the GHMC Act. After seizing the movable properties, the civic body will also share the defaulter data with the electricity department and Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) for disconnection.

Officials said that though data related to repeated defaulters was not available in the headquarters, notices have been served at the circle level from the available list. Officials said the corporation is yet to receive the purified data, which is after deleting duplicate property tax identification numbers, structures affected in road widening and other major infrastructure projects. They claimed that the corporation had prepared a list of seven categories, where the duplicate data has to be removed to make the accurate list of defaulters.

Emphasis will be laid on circle offices that have the most commercial outlets, such as Abids, Khairatabad, Serilin-gampally and Kukatpally. It has formed teams to identify defaulting malls and stores. With regard to government offices, a majority has assured payment in a week. The government has agreed to pay `20 crore annual property tax. Officials also hinted that the government offices did not clear their property tax dues for two financial years, which amounts to `60 crore, including the current fiscal.