AMC aims to be debt-free in 2022-23! Civic body creating history collecting Rs 100 cr in taxes by Dec

Aurangabad, Dec 30:

The Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) will be making history by collecting Rs 100 crore in taxes (property and water) by December 31 this financial year. The collection figure touched Rs 97.36 crore mark today. For the first time in a financial year, this much amount is being netted by December. The AMC is now aiming to be among few debt-free municipal corporations of Maharashtra, in the new financial year beginning April 1, 2022, by chalking out different strategies to enhance income.

Municipal administrator A K Pandey took over as the municipal commissioner on December 9, 2019. The unpaid dues to the tune of Rs 386 crore of contractors prompted him to take drastic measures. The contractors were making rounds for payment and even staged demonstrations. Pandey initiated strict measures for recovery which are yielding fruits. Today, the AMC has to just clear Rs 60 crore dues of the contractors. Pandey studied the income and expense side of the cash-strapped AMC and stopped the wastage of money. He set priority of

all important works. Braving opposition of public representatives, he stopped the construction of concrete roads in bylanes of the wards. Later on, he gave the responsibility of recovering property and water taxes to the deputy commissioner Aparna Thete. The zone-wise planning of recovery was made and target collections were given on day to day basis.

The properties which were out of the tax ambit for decades were brought on record. The civic chief also re-evaluated the old property tax levied upon many properties and revised it. The AMC settled cheque-bounce cases as it was halting recovery of Rs 3 crore.

He also initiated action against lethargic officials and personnel for their poor performance in recovering property and water taxes, dismissing many for dereliction of duty.

Rs 90 crore collection in 2018

The highest ever recovery recorded by AMC by December in a financial year was Rs 90 crore in 2018. The proper planning will help the AMC to touch the magic figure of Rs 100 crore. Three more months are remaining for this financial year to end and AMC is hopeful of further bolstering its income.

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Co-operation of property-holders helped

Previously, the demand notice of property and water taxes were distributed in the last few months of the financial year. However, this year, we started distributing tax bills from June-July and intensified the recovery from October. This helped property-holders to pay their taxes in time and at their convenience. We have also sorted out the pending issue of double-entry of many properties, settled the dispute of properties having property tax dues of more than Rs 10 lakh upon each of them, through hearing. A Special Task Force was formed to recover water tax through severing water connections. The right of levying tax was delegated to the recovery officials. They were given a target of recovering taxes from 1,000 to 1,500 houses. This helped to recover 100 per cent of taxes from the property-holders. The collection will grow as 75 per cent discount in interest is being offered under the amnesty scheme. The AMC has appealed to the citizens to pay their taxes online as well by sitting at their homes.

Astik Kumar Pandey

Municipal administrator, Aurangabad