The Times of India            04.02.2014

Now, LBT and water tax defaulters to 'face music'

PUNE: After the property tax defaulters, it is time for water tax and LBT defaulters to face the music as the civic administration is planning to introduce the 'band bajao' drive for other services too.

"The response of the property tax has been good. Huge recovery has been made during the drive. So, from next financial year onwards, the civic administration is planning to introduce the drive for other services as well," said Rajendra Jagtap, additional commissioner of PMC, while speaking to reporters on Monday.

The Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC) decision to rope in brass bands to recover dues from property tax defaulters has paid rich dividends. In the four months, from September to December last year, the civic body mopped up property tax dues worth Rs 72 crore through the drive.

The bands were hired to play loud music in front of houses of the defaulters, shaming the owners into clearing their dues. Officials from the property tax department accompany the bands to collect the payments.

The drive was launched in March 2013 on an experimental basis. After getting a good response, the drive was resumed in September. The civic body uses six brass bands to work in different wards across the city and pays them as much as Rs 20 lakh a year.