VIJAYAWADA: With just 10 days left for the completion of financial year, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) is yet to recover pending tax arrears worth Rs 190.35 crore.
Term it lack of political will or poor recovery policies, the VMC has failed to tighten the noose around the defaulters, be they residential or commercial or public entities. According to the information available with VMC officials, the civic body has pending arrears of property tax worth Rs 89.33 crore, water supply and sewerage bill arrears Rs 13.11 crore, water meter arrears worth Rs 6.12 crore and vacant land tax arrears worth Rs 68.14 crore.
Though the civic body served notices on the tax defaulters under Section 137 of the Municipal Corporation Act, which clearly states that in case of non-payment of the bills within the stipulated period, action will be initiated against the defaulters. But the defaulters were adamant to pay their pending dues. According to sources, some of the ruling TDP leaders have also figured in the list of tax defaulters.
Around Rs 52.32 lakh tax arrears are yet to be collected by the civic body officials. KBR Constructions tops the list of tax defaulters in the city with Rs 53.25 lakh tax arrears. While Government Dental College has to pay property tax arrears to the tune of Rs 18.39 lakh, APSRTC has to pay Rs 14.07 lakh to the VMC.
In a recent meeting held with revenue officials, municipal commissioner G Veerapandian also directed the departments concerned to prepare a list of defaulters so that action would be initiated against them. “We will soon start attaching moveable and immovable properties of property tax defaulters. Water supply and sewerage connections of the defaulters will be snapped,” he said.