Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad   

MCH cracks the whip on BSNL

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD March 21. For the second time in the last fortnight, the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) locked up seven offices of the BSNL in different parts of the city on Friday for non-payment of property tax dues.

For nearly an hour, BSNL officials were not allowed to work. The MCH served notices and hung banners seeking clearance of dues amounting to Rs. 5.40 crores.

It was only after the BSNL General Manager spoke to the MCH Commissioner, Chitra Ramachandran, that the officials relented. Under the self-assessment scheme, the BSNL is supposed to pay property tax at the rate of Rs. 8 per Sq. ft. But, it quoted less than Re. 1. Even at this rate, the BSNL dues for the last two years would come to Rs. 5.40 crores, it is said.

The MCH expects the BSNL to pay taxes at a higher rate, as it is a highly profitable organisation. The MCH officials pointed out how the BSNL disconnected telephones when its customers failed to pay up. "Why can't it follow the same principal and pay its dues promptly,'' officials asked.

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