Chennai, Aug. 24: City Corporation has planned to intensify the property tax arrears drive as the total arrears to the corporation amounts to about Rs 568 crore. According to corporation commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni about 434 people have property tax arrears above Rs 10 lakh each totalling to a staggering amount of Rs 170 crore.

The revenue authorities have planned to install notice boards revealing the names of defaulters and their arrears. These notice boards will be installed in front of the properties for which the taxes were not paid.

Last year, about Rs 360 crore was collected through property taxes and this year a target of about Rs 400 crore is planned, Mr Lakhoni said.

“Fascinatingly several posh hotels and IT majors have been evading property tax and north Chennai accounts for around Rs 125 crore arrears, while the zones in central and south Chennai account for remaining Rs 443 crore,” a corporation official said. With the revision of sixth pay commission and the expenditure of the civic body shooting up due to new schemes announced in the corporation budget, the pressure is high on the revenue department to ensure that the financial burden of the civic body is met through its annual tax collection process, the official added.