NIZAMABAD: The rule requiring candidates to clear all pending municipal dues before filing nominations has led to increased collections for the Nizamabad Municipal Corporation (NMC), with several aspirants settling long-standing arrears to obtain mandatory No Dues Certificates. One payment drew attention after an aspirant cleared Rs 7.51 crore in dues.
Katipalli Shamtha Reddy, a Congress aspirant from the 19th division who is also in the race for the mayor’s post, said the dues accumulated due to a prolonged dispute over property tax assessments.
Her husband, businessman Narendar Reddy, told TNIE: “We have been paying our property tax, but the payments were not updated online. The NMC later issued property tax bills. We approached the high court, which directed us to produce records. The case is pending. Since we need the No Dues Certificate, we cleared the dues. We hope to get a refund and will raise the issue during the campaign.”
Municipal officials said the payment resolved a dispute dating back to 2009. According to NMC Additional Commissioner (Revenue) P Ravindra Sagar, the original liability was about Rs 2.50 crore, but interest and penalties increased the demand to Rs 8.16 crore.
“Two days earlier, we refused to issue the No Dues Certificate despite repeated requests,” he said. “The aspirant approached the High Court, but there was no order in their favour. After this, Rs 64 lakh was paid initially, followed by Rs 7.51 crore through a demand draft. We then issued the certificate.”
Government departments owe NMC Rs 45 crore in property tax
NMC Commissioner S Dileep Kumar said the case was not an exception. “Several candidates have cleared arrears in recent days. One individual alone paid more than Rs 7.51 crore.
We are compiling figures, and it will take time to disclose the total amount collected through No Dues Certificates,” he said, adding that other municipalities have also stepped up recovery from nomination seekers.
Ravindra Sagar said the civic body collected Rs 63 lakh in three days from multiple applicants, apart from the large payment.
The corporation has set a revenue target of Rs 95 crore for 2025–26, including `45 crore in arrears from government departments. Over the past four months, collections stand at about Rs 13 crore.