Panvel civic body seals 118 commercial shops over non-payment of property tax dues – ET RealEstate

NAVI MUMBAI: Panvel civic body’s property tax department vigilance team has started sealing the commercial shops in it’s jurisdiction for defaulting on the payment of property tax levied by the civic body. The drive began from March 8 by serving notices to a total of 118 defaulters and sealing their properties.

Subsequently, several commercial property owners have immediately cleared the outstanding amount of property tax to prevent the sealing of their property and to avoid loss of business. However, the commercial property owners have alleged that the sealing of their property is arm twisting by Panvel civic body when the petition by an NGO opposing the retrospective property tax is pending in High Court and the decision is awaited.

Ganesh Shete, deputy municipal commissioner said, “In the past three days, we have served notices and sealed a total of 118 commercial properties. Out of them, as many as 115 defaulters have cleared their outstanding property tax bill. Thus, recovering the property tax bill of total Rs 2.12 crore. Three commercial property owners have paid in instalments by giving post dated cheques. After completing the drive against commercial property owners, we will start the sealing of residential properties of defaulters of property tax.”

Harishchandra Kadu, HOD of Property tax department of Panvel civic body said, “Though some citizens ,under the banner of an NGO have filed a petition in the High Court for opposing the property tax levied by the Panvel city municipal corporation by claiming that the property tax is retrospective and double taxation as Cidco is also levying service charges, the HC has neither ordered a stay nor ordered that any coercive action cannot be taken by the Panvel civic body. Hence, the Panvel civic body can take action on the defaulters of property tax payment by sealing their properties and service notice to immediately clear the outstanding property tax bills. Subsequently, a special drive has been started initially against the commercial shop owners who have defaulted in paying property tax.”

Chitra Hariharan, the owner of a commercial property in Kharghar lamented, “The coercive action undertaken by PCMC against property owners by sealing their property, smacks of extreme high-handedness. This action has been taken despite the property tax issue in PCMC area being a sub-judice matter whose High Court order is awaited.”