The BMC has launched a major crackdown on big defaulters, taking stringent actions such as attachments and auctions. As part of this initiative, the BMC's Assessment and Collection (A&C) department has seized 18 properties owned by 'DBS Realty Company' in Chandivali, with outstanding dues totaling Rs. 178.64 crore. The civic authorities have warned that if the company fails to pay the dues within the 21-day deadline, the properties will be put up for auction.
The BMC has set a tax collection target of Rs. 6,200 crore for the financial year 2024-25. As of now, between May 26, 2024, and February 12, 2025, a total of Rs. 4,823 crore has been collected. The civic officials from the A&C department are working diligently to collect the remaining Rs. 1,377 crore by March 31, 2025. To ensure this, the BMC has been issuing attachment notices under Section 203 to big defaulters who delay payments or fail to pay property tax despite having the financial capacity.
If the taxes are not paid within the stipulated period, the BMC initiates the process of attaching and auctioning goods from the defaulting property, in accordance with Sections 203, 204, 205, and 206 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act. The civic officials have placed attachment notices on a total of 18 properties owned by 'DBS Realty Company' located in Sangharsh Nagar at Chandivali.
"Despite repeated follow-ups, no response has been received, leading to the attachment notices being affixed to all these properties. If the taxes are not paid within the next 21 days, as per MMC Act, the goods from these properties will be seized and auctioned," said BMC in its press release on Friday.
Meanwhile, the BMC has compiled a list of 500 defaulters, which includes names of prominent real estate developers, government corporations, and even civic offices. According to civic calculations, the pending dues up to March 2010 amounted to Rs. 3,242 crores, which have now escalated to Rs. 5,397 crores after the addition of penalties over the last 15 years. The civic body has now served notices to attach some of these properties.
