BENGALURU: The Special Commissioner (Revenue) of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has issued a circular instructing all Commissioners of five City Corporations to initiate actions for recovering outstanding property taxes and service charges from government-owned properties in their areas.
NR Ramesh, a former leader in the BBMP Council, highlighted in a letter that government buildings owe property taxes and service charges totaling ₹473 crore and urged authorities to collect these pending amounts.
According to Ramesh’s letter, “Government authorities have ignored their obligations, effectively cheating the GBA by failing to pay property taxes and service charges annually. He also attached documentation regarding the arrears from all eight zones of the former BBMP, calling for demand notices to be issued to officials responsible for these properties.”
The Special Commissioner instructed the City Corporation Commissioners to compile a list of government assets, including buildings, vacant lands, residential quarters, non-residential buildings, and public sector units (PSUs) within their jurisdictions.
“You must confirm whether these properties are subject to property tax and service charges and rectify any issues regarding their assessment. Ensure that demand notices have been issued to the responsible officials for the payment of these dues. Address any irregularities found during this verification process,” the letter stated.
Furthermore, the circular directed the Commissioners to have their staff gather information on all government properties in their jurisdictions.
“The respective Commissioners and Special Commissioners (Revenue) must send letters or meet personally with officials in charge of properties with substantial tax and service charge arrears to facilitate the collection of these dues,” the letter emphasized.
Meanwhile, NR Ramesh has filed a complaint with the GBA Special Commissioner (Revenue) demanding action, including temporarily locking Vidhana Soudha, Vikas Soudha, Lok Bhavan, and Kumara Krupa Guest House over non-payment of dues. He welcomed the GBA’s directive aimed at recovering long-overdue property taxes and service charges.
