In an aggressive bid to bolster civic revenues and recover long-pending arrears, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is set to launch an intensive, citywide property tax recovery campaign from August 20 to September 30. Municipal Commissioner Dr Vipin Itankar approved the comprehensive recovery blueprint on August 12, directing the revenue machinery to initiate stern action against chronic defaulters across all ten municipal zones. The civic administration has set its sights on recovering a staggering Rs 1,279.05 crore tied up in arrears. Official data reveals that the principal outstanding property tax stands at Rs 683.66 crore, while accumulated late-payment penalties have surged to Rs 586.70 crore.

 

Additionally, Rs 8.69 crore remains pending under statutory warrant proceedings. The extensive drive will cover approximately 3.24 lakh defaulting properties across commercial, mixed-use, residential, and open-land categories. To maximise revenue realisation, the municipal administration has formulated a descending-order priority matrix. Built structures account for the share of the unpaid dues, with 2.35 lakh properties collectively owing Rs 472.12 crore, while 88,918 vacant plots and land parcels account for Rs 211.55 crore.

 

High-value commercial defaulters will be targeted first, particularly 624 commercial establishments with individual liabilities exceeding Rs 5 lakh. Similarly, 404 mixed-use and 709 residential properties falling into the high-value bracket have been prioritised for immediate enforcement, followed by a phased sweep of smaller-slab accounts. Civic squads visiting defaulting establishments have been authorised to invoke Rule 42 of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Tax Rules to directly issue demand warrants, attach properties, or seize movable assets in cases of non-compliance. However, to facilitate hassle-free compliance, field teams will be equipped with digital point-of-sale (POS) terminals, enabling property owners to clear their dues on the spot and avert public attachment proceedings. Acting on the proposal to provide POS machines to tax collectors, proposed by Shivani Dani-Wakhare, Chairperson of Standing Committee, the Property Tax Department procured 100 POS machines. On Independence Day, these machines were distributed to the department’s tax collectors by Mayor Neeta Thakre. Additional Municipal Commissioner Milind Meshram said that the primary objective behind distributing these POS machines is to provide a facility for property owners who wish to pay their taxes immediately upon receiving the demand notice to make digital payments on the spot. This facility will eliminate the need for citizens, particularly senior citizens and women, to make repeated visits to the office to pay property taxes, thereby making the payment process easier, faster, and more transparent. He emphasised that the 40-day campaign will be monitored closely on a daily basis, urging citizens to settle their outstanding dues promptly to avoid penal interest, legal complications, and public warrant executions.