RANCHI: The Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) has made public a list of the largest property tax defaulters, highlighting several key government entities with total dues reaching into thousands of crores.
RMC officials reveal that government buildings within municipal boundaries owe upwards of Rs 60,000 crores, severely impacting the civic body’s revenue.
Among the most significant defaulters is the Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC), with outstanding dues of approximately Rs 40.72 crore. The South Eastern Railway’s Ranchi division owes Rs 2.38 crore, while the Hatia division has unpaid dues of Rs 1.77 crore. Additionally, the Sports Authority of Jharkhand in Morabadi has dues amounting to Rs 11.30 crore, and the Krishi Utpadan Bazar Samiti owes over Rs 5.08 crore.
Essential service providers such as the Jharkhand Rajya Bidyut Transmission Circle and the National Health Mission are also listed with significant arrears.
An RMC official stated that the ongoing non-compliance from such large institutions has taken a toll on the financial health of the civic body.
“When core institutions fail to settle their dues, it sets a troubling precedent, adversely affecting city infrastructure and services,” the official, who wished to remain anonymous, commented.
The Ranchi railway division has disputed the claims. “We have not received any notifications from the municipal authority. I will verify this with the RMC office regarding the alleged dues,” stated Suchi Singh, divisional commercial manager.
Local residents have expressed their frustration, stating that unless the RMC enforces accountability evenly, the increasing arrears will continue to hinder basic city services. “If the railways, HEC, and other major departments don’t comply, how can we expect regular citizens to follow suit? This appears to be a governance failure,” remarked Meenal Das, a hostel owner in Lalpur.
The civic body is contemplating stringent measures, such as legal actions including freezing the bank accounts of private defaulters, in order to recover long-standing dues.
