Enthused by the response to the drumbeating programme that has helped the cash-strapped Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) collect tax dues from defaulters, the civic authority tried to use the same tactic on the 32 defaulters at Prestige Towers on Residency Road.
Euphoric over on the response to the drumbeating outside the IT bellwether Wipro’s head office on Sarjapur Road last week, officials of BBMP’s Shanthinagar Division thought that Tuesday’s persuasive percussion would help them recover the Rs.1.75 crore tax pending since 2008-09.
A BBMP communiqué said there are 157 offices in the commercial complex of which 32 owners are yet to pay their property tax. Of the latter, 20 office spaces are owned by the Archdiocese of Bangalore.
Assistant Revenue Officer N.V. Savitri said the BBMP had sent several notices to the defaulters but nothing happened. Those sent through registered post were also not accepted and returned to the BBMP. The defaulters also ignored the notices put up on the doors. “With no other option left, we had to take up drumbeating in front of the premises. Though we kept beating for two hours, none of the owners turned up to pay the dues. We have now decided to do it again on Wednesday,” she said.
Meanwhile, in a statement, the Archdiocese said the property in question was sold to Prestige Estates Projects in 1997. “They were given 10 years to develop and transfer the developed property to individual buyers. This was to be completed by the year 2007. Subsequent to the sale agreement (dated March 1, 1997), all the property tax is payable by Prestige Estates Projects (P) Ltd. and not the Archdiocese of Bangalore.”
