The Hindu        08.01.2018  

Many properties ‘missing’ in tax portal!

Commissioners asked to make precise assessment, submit details within 10 days

About 13,113 urban properties in 63 municipalities or Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across Telangana do not show any measurements pertaining to the size or shape in the official records while another 1,394 properties in 43 municipalities are with zero tax payment!

These ‘discrepancies’ in the property tax records in the Urban Local Bodies came to light when senior officials of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development pursued a report furnished by E-suvidha to the department detailing tax receipts for the year so far.

With just three months to go for the various municipal bodies to complete collection of property tax, which is a major source of revenue, the department has directed municipal commissioners of the ULBs concerned to make precise assessments of the properties listed and submit details of the same within 10 days.

There are close to 12.5 lakh properties in the 73 ULBs that have been satellite mapped and geo-tagged recently with the help of ISRO-National Remote Sensing Centre.

Karimnagar topped the list of maximum properties without any measurements at 1,484 followed by Adilabad (1,127), Khammam (960), Nizamabad (881), Tandur (748), Sangareddy (629), Palwancha (469) and Korutla (433).

Among municipalities with zero tax properties are Wanaparthy (324), Khammam (256), Zaheerabad (137) and Palwancha (126).

Third-party audits

Municipal Administration Minister K.T. Rama Rao had earlier asked the department to have third party independent audits on the functioning of the Urban Local Bodies and the Institute of Public Auditors has been poring through the records to check for fault lines to be corrected.

Already, about 16,800 properties not even in tax assessments have been identified and notices served, senior officials said.

Municipal commissioners concerned have now been instructed to ensure revenue inspectors are sent onto the field for physical verification of the properties listed in the above mentioned categories, take correct measurements, calculate the tax amount to be paid and update the same in the online tax module, as per orders by Commissioner & Director of Municipal Administration T.K. Sreedevi.