Shortage of ground staff hits GHMC’s revenue mop-up

Existing bill collectors and tax inspectors fewer in numbers

The GHMC is zealously pursuing its goal to include more assessees on its property tax net and increase its revenue, but shortage of ground staff could prove to be its Achilles’ heel.

Bill collectors and tax inspectors, who are to conduct field inspections as part of the satellite survey of properties in the city, are woefully fewer in numbers. Strangely, however, the number is higher than required in a few circles, indicating irrational distribution of existing staff.

GHMC has divided its circles into dockets for convenience in property tax assessment, and according to the set protocol, each docket ought to have a bill collector. Tax inspectors ought to monitor two to three dockets each. For the total 342 dockets in city, the corporation has only 80 regular bill collectors, and 220 assistant bill collectors and other staff.

“Office assistants, and sometimes even sanitary jawans and Class IV employees are made to discharge the duties of bill collector, owing to shortage of staff,” says an official. When it comes to tax inspectors, only 75 persons who were originally appointed in that post are discharging the duties, with 101 others functioning as in-charge tax inspectors though appointed in some other capacity. That apart, even the existing allotment across circles needs a rationalisation exercise, as a few circles show excessive staff, while a few others are painfully understaffed.

For instance, Secunderabad zone has 27 regular bill collectors and 65 assistant bill collectors and other staff, though the zone has only 78 number dockets. The huge discrepancy owes itself to Amberpet circle overstaffed by 17 persons. The circle has 35 bill collectors for its 18 dockets.

Serilingampally zone too is home to such extreme disparities among circles. In Yousufguda circle, only three bill collectors — regular and temporary — exist for its nine dockets, while in Ramachandrapuram circle, a total of 12 bill collectors serve six dockets. Similar variances exist with respect to tax inspectors too. While a tax inspector has to take care of two to three dockets, 176 inspectors — appointed and ad hoc — for 342 dockets, is seemingly excessive.

At some locations the inspectors outnumber the bill collectors too! For instance, in L.B. Nagar zone there are 39 tax inspectors monitoring 36 bill collectors and in Rajendranagar circle, there are 11 tax inspectors to supervise the work of 10 bill collectors. In Serilingampally too, eight in-charge tax inspectors and three regular tax inspectors oversee the work of nine bill collectors, who incidentally, serve only eight dockets!

In clear contrast, in circles such as Karwan, Chandrayangutta and Falaknuma, only two tax inspectors have to take care of eight to nine dockets each. In Malkajgiri, mere four inspectors exist for 16 dockets. Officials informed that the corporation is in the process of appointing 100 more bill collectors.