MUMBAI: The municipal corporation has issued a notice that five properties belonging to property tax defaulters, including the Hotel Oakwood at Juhu, will be auctioned due to unpaid property tax dues amounting to over Rs 27 crore.
As per the announcement from the BMC, these properties will be put up for auction if the outstanding property tax arrears are not settled within 21 days from the notice date. The properties earmarked for auction consist of a hotel, a land plot, land of a housing society, and a residential building with shops, among others.
“This is an ongoing initiative. We will also be issuing a notice for the auction of 10 additional properties soon. There are several procedural stages before a notice for auction is published. Initially, a penalty is imposed after the payment due date. Then, a demand notice is sent, followed by another after 21 days or a week. Eventually, we issue a notice regarding the property attachment, allowing another 21 days. If the defaulter pays 50% of the total amount and provides a post-dated cheque for the remainder, further actions are paused temporarily,” a civic official stated.
“If there’s no payment, we proceed with seizure actions. We must also conduct legal checks concerning property titles to avoid any legal issues during the auction process. Prior to the auction, notices are served to the concerned parties and posted on the property with adequate time given,” the official added.
