NAGPUR: With just 46 days left until the current financial year ends on March 31, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is racing against time to recover Rs224 crore in property tax dues. So far, the civic body has collected Rs205 crore.
The NMC has intensified its recovery drive by issuing warrants and attaching properties to meet its target. But, a significant amount remains unpaid.
According to data from NMC’s tax department, 12,609 property owners were served warrants to recover outstanding property tax of Rs117 crore. In response, 2,845 property owners cleared their dues, contributing Rs20.94 crore to the civic body’s exchequer.
Additionally, action was taken against 8,003 defaulters, and their properties were attached to recover unpaid dues amounting to Rs81.91 crore. Officials reported that 11 defaulters settled their outstanding dues, adding Rs4.1 crore to the civic treasury.
A zone-wise analysis reveals that the highest number of warrants were issued in Ashi Nagar zone, where 2,851 property owners were served notices to recover Rs33.29 crore. This was followed by 2,212 warrants in Hanuman Nagar zone for Rs16.10 crore and 2,120 in Lakadganj zone for Rs10.84 crore dues. Additionally, 2,651 properties were attached in Ashi Nagar zone due to unpaid dues worth Rs31.77 crore.
Meanwhile, NMC’s ongoing amnesty scheme, which offers property owners some relief on dues, saw participation from 36,271 taxpayers, resulting in a recovery of Rs30.30 crore.
For the financial year 2024-25, 8,28,497 property owners were expected to pay property tax worth Rs429 crore. However, only 3.59 lakh property owners have made payments so far, generating Rs205.12 crore for the NMC. This leaves a shortfall of Rs224 crore, which the civic body is now aggressively pursuing.
The NMC has also issued reminder notices to 19 state government offices, including Chitrakala Mahavidyalaya, the state CID office, and various city police offices, demanding clearance of pending dues totaling Rs93.58 crore. Of them, only Chitrakala Mahavidyalaya has responded, paying ₹19 lakh out of its total outstanding amount of Rs24 lakh.
Most of these state government departments fall under the home and revenue ministries, both headed by ministers from Nagpur—chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who heads the home department, and revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule. This has given the NMC hope that government offices will soon clear their dues, significantly boosting revenue in the current fiscal year.
With a substantial portion of property tax still unpaid, the NMC is expected to ramp up enforcement measures, including further property attachments and legal action against major defaulters. The civic administration is under pressure to improve tax collections, as property tax remains one of the primary revenue sources for maintaining city infrastructure and services.
Despite multiple recovery efforts, the reluctance of both private and government property owners to clear dues remains a challenge. The coming months will be crucial in determining the success of NMC’s efforts to bridge the revenue gap.
