Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
A total of ₹191 crore has been collected through property tax and water tax over the past eight months. The interest-waiver scheme significantly boosted the revenue collection. This year, the target has been set at ₹700 crore. The administration expects an additional ₹100 crore to be collected over the next four months. With rising expenses, such as loan repayments for water supply projects and increasing electricity bills, the administration will likely have to take strict financial decisions.
Administrator G Sreekanth has set a target of ₹700 crore for the 2025–26 financial year. Since April 1, emphasis has been placed on the collection of property tax and water tax. Recovery staff in each zone office were assigned specific targets. Outstanding dues and current-year payments from commercial property owners were prioritised. Good progress was made in April and May, followed by the launch of an interest-waiver scheme, which received strong response in its first phase, resulting in recovery of over ₹100 crore. In total, ₹191 crore has been deposited into the municipal treasury within eight months.
The administrator said that four months remain before the end of the financial year, and at least ₹100 crore more is expected to be collected during this period.
Shri Mitra app
A special ‘Shri Mitra’ mobile application has been developed for recovery staff. It will be provided to 133 bill collectors and will be for internal office use only. The app is expected to make revenue collection more efficient. It will allow easy viewing and tracking of collected and pending tax data. The app also ensures better coordination when staff are on field duty and provides real-time information on how much tax each collector has recovered.