Every house to be counted!

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Standing Committee of the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) on Monday approved a major decision to carry out a fresh assessment of all properties in the city, citing large-scale discrepancies in existing tax records.

The move follows findings that nearly 67,000 properties have been taxed at nominal rates of Rs 1,000–Rs 1,500 since 1988–89, despite significant changes in property values and structures over the decades. Officials also noted around 27,000 cases of duplicate entries, while several properties could not be traced.

The administration informed the committee that property tax recovery cannot improve unless the demand base is revised, necessitating a citywide re-survey. The proposal was approved by the Standing Committee chaired by Anil Makariye.

Five-hour discussion on taxes and water charges

The meeting, which lasted nearly five hours, focused on property tax and water charges. Corporators Rajgaurav Wankhede, Surendra Kulkarni, Amit Bhuigad, Matin Khan, Madhuri Adwant, Azhar Pathan and Kamal Narote raised concerns over alleged irregularities in tax collection and staff conduct.

Allegations were made that some civic staff had engaged in corrupt practices during tax recovery operations. It was also suggested that field staff should publicly identify major defaulters, including proposals to “beat drums” outside their residences.

Staff shortage and revenue gap cited

Deputy Commissioner Vikas Navale informed the committee that each zone currently has only one staff member for tax assessment. Despite this, 1,620 new properties were assessed in a month using registry and town planning records.

He said the current annual tax demand stands at Rs 162 crore and stressed that without expanding the demand base, recovery would not improve. He reiterated the need for a comprehensive re-survey of all properties.

Additional Commissioner Ranjit Patil supported the proposal, which was subsequently cleared by the committee chairman.

Water charges linked to supply

Chairman Anil Makariye also directed the administration not to insist on water tax recovery if the civic body fails to provide adequate water supply, stating that strict recovery should be enforced only after ensuring sufficient distribution.

BOT properties brought under tax net

It was also revealed that shops and offices under Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) projects had not been taxed so far. Commissioner Amol Yedge directed officials to begin levying taxes on such properties immediately.

Key figures reported

Rs 809 crore – Outstanding dues till March 31, 2026

Rs 162.95 crore – Current financial year demand

Rs 307 crore – Penalty/interest

Rs 1,279 crore – Total demand

Rs 35.87 crore – Recovery till May 15

Rs 1,243 crore – Pending recovery

Major recovery

734 mobile towers – Rs 122 crore

380 educational institutions – Rs 17 crore

440 government properties – Rs 32 crore

17,023 open plots – Rs 75 crore

2,65,946 residential properties – Rs 704 crore

8,087 mixed-use properties – Rs 56 crore

1,087 industrial properties – Rs 32 crore