RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: Despite repeated appeals by municipal authorities, property tax and water charge collections continue to remain sluggish in Rajamahendravaram, Nidadavole, Kovvur and Mandapeta civic bodies in East Godavari district reflecting a larger trend.
Officials say public interest in paying municipal dues on time is declining, resulting in mounting arrears and affecting urban development works.
Across the district, arrears have piled up in the municipal corporation and three municipalities. Even as municipal staff and officials conduct ward-level awareness campaigns and conducting door-to-door campaign to educate residents about the importance of timely tax payments, collections have not reached expected levels.
East Godavari District-wide data reveals that East Godavari has a total of 1,18,948 assessments, including houses and vacant sites. With old arrears added, the total tax demand has reached Rs 96.81 crore, while only Rs 53.96 crore has been collected so far.
This means over 42 percent of the demand is yet to be realised, even though just two-and-a-half months remain in this financial year.
The targets fixed for house property tax and other tax collection are Rs 79.56 crore in Rajamahendravaram, Rs 7.29 crore in Mandapeta, Rs 4.01 crore in Kovvur, and Rs 5.95 crore in Nidadavole municipality. Efforts are currently underway to collect the remaining Rs 42.85 crore, said the Regional Director of Municipal Administration.
Officials said that while some households, industrial units, commercial establishments, and cinema theatres regularly pay their dues, a large number of property owners continue to delay payments. Arrears have also accumulated from several government offices, further worsening the situation. As a result, municipal revenues have suffered, directly impacting development activities in towns.
Municipal officials point out that efforts have been made to make tax payment easier. In all civic bodies, revenue staff have been visiting households over the past year, collecting taxes at doorsteps and issuing computer-generated receipts on the spot.
Municipal Regional Director Naga Narasimha Rao appealed to citizens to cooperate by paying property taxes on time. He said municipal commissioners have been directed to intensify reviews and collection drives, with announcements being made in all wards through public address systems. “Staff are going house to house to create awareness.
All necessary steps are being taken to achieve 100 percent tax collection by March,” he said. He said that timely payment of taxes is essential for sustaining town development.