The ‘One Time Scheme’ announced by the Municipal Administration and Urban Development department offering to waive off 90% accumulated interest for pending property tax payment arrears if principal amount is cleared along with 10% interest shows that the urban local bodies (other than Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation — GHMC) are to collect about ₹562.6 crore.
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This is from 140 municipalities and municipal corporations across the State for about 6.73 lakh properties with the principal amount coming to about ₹336.04 crore and the penalty component coming to about ₹226.54 crore, informed official sources.
These pending payments are out of the cumulative ₹1,999.24 crore tax arrears and another cumulative interest payment arrears of ₹1,626.93 crore, including that of the GHMC. The highest tax arrears with pending interest is from Nizamabad with 28,065 houses and ₹96.66 crore in arrears, Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation for 63,275 households is ₹88.86 crore, followed by Nalgonda with 17,969 units and ₹56.75 crore arrears, Khammam with 25,150 and ₹54.7 crore arrears, Mahabubnagar is next with 18,879 units and ₹46.25 crore arrears and Karimnagar with 19,297 households having total arrears of ₹40.3 crore.
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It will be interesting to note that a significant number of municipal bodies with high property tax arrears are in the suburbs with most having witnessed dizzying real estate growth in the last few years.
A look at the Malakjgiri-Medchal district shows Nizampet with 9,338 houses has total arrears of ₹45.21 crore, followed by Boduppal with 6,840 houses and ₹23.06 crore, Dundigal with 5,948 houses and ₹20.43 crore, Nagaram with 4,026 houses and ₹16.3 crore, Dammaiguda with 7,956 houses and ₹13.2 crore, Peerzadiguda with 1,522 houses and ₹12.5 crore, Kompally with 2,918 houses and ₹10.3 crore, Gundlapochampalle with 1,277 houses and ₹10.11 crore and Medchal with 1,774 houses and ₹10.02 crore in property tax arrears.
In the Rangareddy district, the tops is Manikonda with 9,326 units and ₹38.75 crore property tax arrears, followed by Badangpet with 9,824 units and ₹30.09 crore, Narsingi with 2,660 units and ₹20.4 crore , Jalpally with 15,965 units and ₹15.4 crore, Shamshabad with 4,757 units and ₹13.02 crore, Pedda Amberpet with 5,823 units and ₹12.53 crore and Meerpet with 3,596 units and ₹12.35 crore. Sangareddy on the other end of the capital region has 10,140 units and ₹27.53 crore arrears.
Other places with sizeable tax arrears are Pargi with 1,891 units and ₹23 crore, Miryalguda with 12,970 units and ₹22.86 crore arrears, Adilabad with 17,914 units and ₹20.89 crore arrears, Zaheerabad with 9,709 units and ₹19.57 crore, Suryapet 11,089 units and ₹17.06 crore, Mancherial with 8,440 units and ₹15.48 crore arrears, Ameenpur with 3,542 units and ₹15.08 crore, Kothagudem 8,482 units and ₹14.8 crore arrears and Ramagundam with 14,935 units and ₹14.62 crore arrears.
Director of Municipal Administration N. Satyanarayana said tax payers are being personally contacted by the respective municipal commissioners to make use of the OTS with calls and messages sent to the registered mobile phone and awareness programmes through advertisements. Special desks will be held at each ULB on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays for queries and receiving payments till October 31 when the scheme closes, he added.