Pune: In the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, Pune Municipal Corporation finds itself embroiled in a peculiar affair concerning the municipal corporation’s fiscal matters. While on one front, the auctioning of sealed properties belonging to income tax defaulters is underway to boost revenue, a swift move has been initiated to introduce the ‘Abhay Yojana’ for approximately 19 thousand ‘open plot holders’ grappling with arrears amounting to a staggering Rs 2000 crore.
A decision regarding this unprecedented move is anticipated to materialise within the next three to four days, either through the channels of the ‘Abhay Yojana’ or ‘Lok Adalat’, intended to address the outstanding debts of these defaulters. However, the decision, deemed ‘strange’ by many, appears to have been prompted by directives from a significant authority within the state, leading to a state of perplexity among officials.
Presently, Pune boasts around nineteen thousand open plots, each subject to income tax assessment. This tax, though nominal in comparison to construction levies, often remains unpaid in the absence of development plans for the plots.
The genesis of the mammoth arrears can be traced back to a geo-survey conducted by the Municipal Corporation a few years ago, revealing widespread non-payment of taxes on numerous open plots, including reserved lots. Over the years, these delinquencies have amassed to nearly two thousand crore rupees, with a compounded penalty of two percent per month, compounded by cases of double taxation and legal disputes.
Notably, the municipal administration, which had abstained from implementing the ‘Abhay Yojana’ for the past two years, has now expedited its introduction for open plot holders, coinciding with the fervour of the Lok Sabha elections. Speculations abound within municipal circles regarding the influence exerted by a ‘big power’ in the state to prompt this decision. It is anticipated that the proposal in this regard will receive administrative approval imminently.
While the Municipal Corporation has intermittently launched ‘Abhay Yojana’ campaigns in recent years to recover income tax arrears and engaged in compromises through Lok Adalat, the issue of outstanding taxes on open plots has hitherto remained unaddressed. Moreover, the administration’s decision to introduce the ‘Abhay Yojana’ in the absence of public representatives has raised scepticism among citizens.
Furthermore, the municipal administration has initiated the auction process for 53 sealed properties due to income tax arrears. Among these properties, one in Kharadi fetched a bid of Rs. 18 lakh 82 thousand, effectively resolving arrears amounting to Rs. 17 lakh 82 thousand. However, with administrative expenses deducted, the original owner is slated to receive a nominal sum of fifty to sixty thousand rupees. The administration is expected to revise the auction prices for the remaining properties accordingly.
