Sound the drums! Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation’s new way to recover unpaid property tax

Civic body disconnects water supply, issues notices, and uses drumbeat campaigns to push defaulters to pay before March 31; UMC Commissioner Manisha Ahwale has initiated an aggressive tax recovery drive targeting alleged property tax defaulters

The Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) has launched a drumbeat campaign to encourage citizens to pay their property taxes before the March 31 deadline. UMC Commissioner Manisha Ahwale has initiated an aggressive tax recovery drive targeting alleged property tax defaulters.

This year, the civic body warned that defaulters will face significant consequences if they fail to clear their dues on time.

“The property tax must be paid by March 31. We have started a door-to-door drumbeat campaign to remind those who haven’t paid yet. This is to create awareness that authorities will take strict action against those unwilling to pay on time,” said a UMC official.

UMC has already taken action against defaulters. “In the past ten days, water connections of 128 houses have been disconnected, 3125 notices have been issued, and 48 houses are on the verge of seizure,” the official added.

The civic body has recovered Rs 20.51 lakh from 25 properties in the last ten days, bringing the total tax collection to Rs 2.19 crore. 

Additionally, the civic body has tasked Ghanta Gadi (garbage collection vehicle) with making announcements about tax payments.

“We are trying to create public awareness, and the Ghanta Gadi will announce the last date for tax payments. The drumbeat campaign is our final measure to put public pressure on defaulters. If they still fail to pay, legal action will follow,” the official told mid-day.

UMC has also formed special tax recovery teams. “We have formed dedicated teams to raise awareness about tax payments. These teams will conduct field visits and a door-to-door campaign,” the officer added. The civic body has a history of using innovative methods to collect dues. In 2016, it had hired eunuchs to perform songs and dances outside the homes of defaulters.

Civic body cracks down on bogus pay-and-park facility in Ulhasnagar

Citizens who rightfully paid for the ‘pay-and-park’ facility for their two-wheelers were still issued e-challan fines for illegal parking. Over 125 two-wheeler owners, who have been using the facility outside Shahad railway station in Ulhasnagar for years, now find themselves caught in a scam. Locals, shocked by the revelation, say the so-called pay-and-park facility has been operating for over 15 years—only to be exposed as entirely illegal. 

Kumkum Gupta, a resident of Shahad, said she has been parking her two-wheeler outside the station premises for the past eight years. “There was a dedicated ‘pay-and-park’ board, so we assumed it was a legitimate facility. I paid a monthly sum, but a couple of days ago, I started receiving challans! That’s when many of us discovered that the entire ‘pay and park’ was a sham,” she said. 

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