The Times of India                  02.04.2013

Special drive on unassessed properties by GHMC soon

HYDERABAD: Buoyed with the record Rs 1,890 crore revenue collections, especially property tax, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) commissioner MT Krishna Babu has announced a three-month special drive (April-June) to bring under-assessed and un-assessed properties into the tax net by using technologies like Google Maps.

Addressing the media at a joint conference with mayor Mohd Majid Hussain here on Monday, the GHMC commissioner said priority would be given to improve civic infrastructure under the Greater Hyderabad Development Project with the additional Rs 179 crore collected over last year's revenue. He said priority would be given to localities where tax collection was high. tnn

Though the GHMC had a windfall, 4.92 lakh of the total 13 lakh assessed properties, mostly residential, had not paid property tax in the 2012-13 financial year which ended on March 31.

The highest number of defaulters, 76,802 properties, was in circle IV (Charminar) areas like Saidabad, Chandrayangutta, Old Malakpet, Dabeerpura, Uppuguda and Rein Bazaar followed by 46,702 defaulters in Circle VII (Khairatabad) areas like Ahmednagar, Mangalhat, Tolichowki, Vijaynagar colony and Red Hills. Another 44,588 property owners have not paid property tax in Circle V (Charminar) areas like Hussaini Alam, Falaknuma, Begum Bazaar, Puranapul and Shah Ali Banda, he said.

"A list of top 1,000 property tax defaulters will be posted on the GHMC website () by April end after revising details. With regard to cheque bounce cases, property owners will be given time till April 5 for payment in the form of demand drafts. If they do not make payment, legal notices will be served on the property owners," Krishna Babu said.

Mayor Mohd Majid Hussain said the corporation had earned Rs 1,890 crore record revenue from various wings, including Rs 779 crore property tax, Rs 515 crore from the town planning wing, Rs 158 crore from BRS, Rs 26 crore for trade license receipts and Rs 27 crore advertisement tax.

"The town planning wing's revenue rose by 54% compared to the previous financial year. This was mainly due to increase in building permissions at circle and zonal level apart from Building Penalisation Scheme (BPS) and Layout Regularisation Scheme (LRS). Capital expenditure has also increased to Rs 610 crore for taking up several works like roads, bridges and flyovers and development of parks & play grounds," the mayor said.