The Brinhanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has served attachment notices on two housing societies at Worli in south-central Mumbai, where Maharashtra’s several political wigs including deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde, Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil-Chakurkar own flats, for non-payment of property tax arrears amounting to a staggering Rs 16.37 crore.
Informed civic sources said here on Friday evening that in the notices issued to Shubhada and Sukuhada housing societies on Wednesday, the BMC had threatened to attach and auction the flats in the two housing societies, in the event of their not clearing the property taxes due from them in 21 days.
Shubhda co-operative housing society’s A, B and C wings had outstanding of Rs 2.56 crore, while the D and E wings had not paid its property tax worth Rs 9.38 crore since April 2006. Similarly, the A, B and C wings of Sukhda co-operative housing society had not paid property tax dues to the tune of 2.37 crore since October, 2007, while the D wing of the society had defaulted on paying the property tax worth Rs 2.04 crore since April 2006. In effect, Shubhada owes arrears amounting to a total Rs 11.94 crore to the BMC, while Sukhada has not cleared dues amounting collectively to Rs 4.42 crore. This is not for the first time that the twin VIP housing societies of Shubhada and Sukhada.
In April last year, the BMC had issued notices 10 top politicians — including Ajit Pawar, Chakurkar, Munde, State Ministers Patangrao Kadam, Anil Deshmukh and State Congress chief Manikrao Thakre — for carrying illegal alterations in the convenience shops owned by them on the ground floor of the societies.