The Hindu 17.09.2010
Survey on to identify unassessed assets
K.Lakshmi
| Ambattur municipality nets more revenue of Rs.10 lakh |
— Photo: K.Pichumani 
Evaluation: A team of revenue officials of Ambattur Municipality assessing a property in Vinayagapuram recently.
CHENNAI: Ambattur Municipality has launched a survey to identify properties that have been under-assessed or not assessed for property tax.
In the fortnight since the survey was launched, the local body has been able to record additional annual revenue, from such properties, of Rs.10 lakh.
Officials of the municipality said that about 160 properties had been found unassessed during the survey in 22 streets.
A total of 149 buildings were also identified as under-assessed as they had either additional plinth area or the building usage had changed from residential to commercial. During the survey, nearly 30 persons in various parts of Ambattur were also found not to have paid professional tax.
Vacant Land Tax dues have not been paid to the local body by 114 owners. Four teams of officials comprising revenue inspector and bill collectors are involved in the survey, an official said.
The team would submit a report on the survey in various streets on a weekly basis. There are about 90,000 property tax assessees in the local body.
On an average, the municipality receives revenue of nearly Rs.3 crore by way of property tax every month.
“We are expecting to collect Rs.2 crore as professional tax for the half-year ending September,” said an official.
Water charges
The municipality has also geared up to collect water charges from the localities such as Korattur that are covered by piped water supply. Of the Rs.96 lakh, including arrears, that is to be collected, the local body has received Rs.23 lakh since April. An arrear of nearly Rs.78 lakh has been pending for over a decade, an official said.
Nearly 2,400 house connections are being provided drinking water procured from Chennai Metrowater. The municipality has disconnected supply to 121 houses in the last few weeks as part of its measures to collect long-pending dues. Last year, around Rs.22 lakh was remitted towards water charges.
