ULHASNAGAR: The Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) has launched an inquiry after BJP leader Rajesh Vadhrya accused officials from the tax department of corruption under the Abhay Yojana scheme for property tax holders.
Vadhrya alleged that officials granted a 100% penalty waiver on property tax instead of the 50% limit set by the scheme, benefitting a businessman. He further claimed that tax department staff tampered with the property tax software to facilitate this.
UMC sources revealed that Mukesh Karia, a businessman from Ulhasnagar, owns a large property in Ulhasnagar 3, rented to a private bank. He had not paid property tax for years, accumulating a penalty of approximately Rs 83 lakh on an outstanding tax of Rs 49 lakh, bringing his total dues to around Rs 1.33 crore.
According to Vadhrya, the final phase of the Abhay Yojana ended on 18 March at 5.45 pm, allowing a 50% penalty waiver upon payment. However, he alleged that on the same day, officials tampered with the software at the customer facility centre and processed a 100% penalty waiver at 10 pm, clearing Karia’s dues.
Suspecting corruption, Vadhrya demanded strict action against those involved.
When asked about the allegations, Ajay Sable, Chief Public Relations Officer of UMC, stated, “The UMC Commissioner has set up an investigation committee in this matter, which will submit its report on the basis of which action will be taken.”
