MADURAI: Satisfied with the report submitted by the Madurai corporation on the measures to be taken to verify the accuracy of property tax assessment of all immovable properties in the city, the Madurai Bench of the Madras HC on Tuesday directed the chief secretary, home secretary and the director of municipal administration (DMA) to issue a circular to the heads of all corporations, municipalities and town panchayats, instructing them to undertake similar measures in their jurisdiction.
Further, the special investigation team appointed by the court was told to continue its investigation and report its progress. The court added that it would continue to monitor the case and adjourned it to October 27. A bench of justices SM Subramaniam and G Arul Murugan gave the directions on a PIL plea filed by AIADMK councillor T Ravi seeking CBI investigation into the property tax scam in Madurai corporation.
On Tuesday, the corporation commissioner submitted a report saying 100 teams have been formed for the 100 wards in the city, with each team comprising a tax collector, technical assistant and a sanitary supervisor.
In the first phase, the teams would inspect 65,994 buildings, including 40,261 commercial buildings, 2,315 industrial buildings, 317 private educational buildings and 23,101 buildings that were assessed as residential but with electricity connection of commercial nature. Six months would be needed to complete the first phase of re-measurement and taxation.
The second phase would involve inspection of 1,96,082 buildings and would require four months for completion. Officers of the rank of superintendents, assistant revenue officers and administrative officers will supervise the teams, the report said.
Further, it stated that subsequent to the coordination meeting held on August 22 between collector and the commissioner, it was decided that sub committees, consisting of assistant revenue officers (tahsildar rank) and a junior engineer (RDO rank) should be constituted for each of the five zones of the corporation.
The 11-member committee already appointed by the corporation on August 19 would periodically monitor the sub committees’ reports, while the deputy commissioner would oversee them and report to the corporation commissioner, who in turn would report to the DMA, the report added.
Misclassified and under-assessed properties would be rectified and penalized while properties that escaped assessments would be reassessed with retrospective effect from April 1, 2022, it further said.
Pleased with the report, the judges appreciated the commissioner and issued the directions.