INDORE: Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC), which is stepping up its efforts to meet its revenue target of Rs 1,000 crore for the 2024-25 financial year, once again resorted to public shaming, a tactic that proved successful last year.
IMC on Monday started the drive using ‘Band Baja’ (Dhol/drums) to approach property tax and water tax defaulters. Teams from various zones are visiting the homes and commercial establishments of defaulters and announcing their outstanding dues to neighbours and passersby. This public shaming technique has already yielded results, with many defaulters paying their dues to avoid further embarrassment.
As of November 30, the IMC collected around Rs 575 crore. With over three months remaining in the financial year, officials are confident of achieving the Rs 1,000 crore target.
“We are exploring all legal avenues to recover outstanding dues,” said IMC additional commissioner NN Pandey, adding that public shaming is one such method, and we are not afraid to use it if necessary. “We will also take legal action against those who hinder our recovery efforts,” he said.
The IMC’s aggressive approach to revenue collection is aimed at improving the city’s infrastructure and providing better services to its citizens. By taking strict measures against defaulters, the civic body hopes to ensure a sustainable financial future for Indore, the senior IMC officials said.
They added that the revenue officials of all the zones were given a list of defaulters, who have property tax totalling Rs 50,000 or above and water tax totalling Rs 10,000 or above pending against them. The zone-level teams are approaching these defaulters with drums and recovering the dues.
