A host of farmhouses, five-star hotels, Government and semi-Government colleges have been identified as property tax defaulters. Taking cognizance, South Delhi Municipal Corporation has taken stern action against the defaulters of property tax dues and has attached the bank accounts and properties of many defaulters in the last fortnight. The defaulters of property tax include Radisson Blue hotel, Jamia Hamdard University, Acharya Narendra Dev College, Sports Authority of India. Besides, many farmhouses also figured in property tax defaulters’ list.
Top defaulters include Raddison Blue Hotel, Dwarka, against whom dues of `4.40 crore are outstanding. The department has attached all the four bank accounts of this hotel. Since sufficient balance was not available in these accounts, the property of the hotel has also been attached.
Many Government and semi-Government departments and organisations are also among defaulters of property tax. The department has launched the drive to recover property tax dues from them by attaching their bank accounts. The bank accounts of Sports Authority of India (dues `134.47 crore), Jamia Hamdard University (dues `89.46 crore) & Acharya Narendra Dev College (dues `14.89 crore) have been attached, in this process, and the property tax dues have been partly recovered.
“Continuing with the process of recovery of property tax dues from the farmhouses, 70 farmhouses have been attached during the last few days in the areas of Daulatpur, Kapashera, Mehrauli, Sultanpur, Nangli Sakrawati, Neelwal, Goyla Khurd, Paprawat, Mitraon, Maksundabad, Malikpur, Bijwasan, Ghitorni, Deramandi, Gadaipur, Fatepur Beri, etc,” said Radha Krishan, Jt Assessor & Collector looking after the cases of farm houses.
“The department has given them every opportunity available under the Act to liquidate their dues, but due to non-compliance of the assessment orders, A&C Department has attached the properties of the farmhouses as a last resort to realise the property tax,” said Puneet Kumar Goel, Commissioner of the SDMC.