Civic agency bosses plan to beat drums, shame tax defaulters

Top officials of the North Corporation are considering going personally to the offices of big property tax defaulters and take part in drum-beating exercises to shame them into paying their dues. People or corporate houses who owe over Rs 5 lakh will be the target, said a senior North Delhi Municipal Corporation official.

“If the need arises then the North Corporation’s commissioner, its chairman, Leader of House, among other leaders will go themselves to offices of these defaulters and take part in the drum-beating exercise,” the official added.

The north civic agency has sent notices to 43 farmhouses for non-payment of property tax in Narela and Civil Lines Zones. There are a total of 519 farmhouses under these two zones.
Councillors raised the issue in the standing committee meeting on Wednesday. “We are not able to do any work as the councillors’ fund has also been withdrawn,” said Virender Babbar, a councillor from Pahar Ganj.

Government departments and real estate developers are major property tax and service charge defaulters, owing crores to North Delhi Municipal Corporation.

These tax defaulters may face action if they fail to clear their debts before the end of the financial year, said a senior official.In total, they owe Rs 86.91 crore as property tax and service charge to North Corporation, according to official figures.

While the Northern Railways owes Rs 67.41 crore in service charges, the Department of Post owes Rs 9.99 crore, the data revealed. The official said, “If the defaulters refuse to pay on time, we will take stern action against them.”

Other service charge defaulters include Transport Authority in Sant Nagar, Air Force Station in Narela, Income Tax staff quarters in Prasad Nagar, Income Tax Colony in Pitampura and the Delhi government’s Department of Education.

A show cause notice has been sent to Parsvnath Developers for not paying Rs 61.73 in property tax.