PRAYAGRAJ: The Prayagraj Municipal Corporation (PMC) is preparing to take stringent measures against numerous property owners who have been benefitting from civic amenities without paying property tax for several years. Officials disclosed that many building owners, including over 200 commercial entities like hotels, restaurants, and educational institutions, have not remitted any property tax despite multiple reminders.
According to officials, these defaulters collectively owe approximately Rs 40–50 crore in unpaid taxes. Despite issuing notices for over a decade, these operators have continuously ignored the requests. Prime localities including Civil Lines, Katra, George Town, Mumfordganj, Sulemsarai, Phaphamau, and Teliarganj feature prominently on the defaulter list. The amounts owed vary, with some establishments being liable for as little as Rs 2 lakh while others have dues reaching Rs 7–8 lakh.
The municipal corporation has compiled a definitive list of defaulters and is prepared to implement strict recovery actions, including property attachments. “We have prepared a list of defaulting hotels, restaurants, and educational institutions. While they continue to enjoy the facilities provided by the corporation, they have neglected their responsibility of paying property tax. Action will be initiated soon,” stated P K Mishra, chief tax assessment officer of PMC.
The corporation aims to collect Rs 150 crore in property tax for the current financial year. So far, over Rs 54 crore has already been gathered from approximately one lakh property owners. The city’s older 80 wards comprise about 2.36 lakh identified properties, while an additional 20 wards in the expanded area contain around 1.79 lakh more. The goal is to collect property tax from around 45,000 properties.
