Pune civic body seals buildings over property tax dues

Since May of this year, the local council has sealed more than 400 structures belonging to citizens who have not paid property taxes for several years and are about to lose their homes. Notices informing the owners and occupants of these properties of the payment were sent. However, after numerous summonses, they have failed to pay the tax, so these properties have been sealed. The next course of action, which may include auctioning off these properties, would be decided in due course, according to Ajit Deshmukh, chairman of the Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC) property tax division. The civic administration needs to recover around 80,000 million from defaulters, according to PMC officials. This includes large tax evaders including businesses, shopping centres, IT parks, and hospitals in addition to taxes on cell towers. Many tax defaulters have filed lawsuits in opposition to letters of collection. In many situations, the PMC is powerless to use coercion. According to a senior PMC official, this is delaying recovery.