For the first time in the history of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), an impressive ₹580 crore has been collected in property tax within just six months, with over 60% of taxpayers actively participating in this remarkable achievement.
To put this into perspective, last year by the end of September, 2,45,844 property owners had dutifully paid ₹364 crores in taxes. This year, the numbers have witnessed a substantial surge, with 3,66,636 property owners contributing ₹580 crores—an impressive increase of 1,20,792 taxpayers.
The city boasts a total of 6,07,000 registered properties, spanning residential, industrial, commercial, mixed-use, and vacant lands. Out of this substantial pool of property owners, a commendable 3,66,636 individuals, accounting for 60%, have dutifully fulfilled their tax obligations, thereby contributing ₹579 crores to the municipal treasury. The tax collection mechanisms varied, with ₹370.83 crore collected online, ₹5.87 crore through mobile apps, ₹74.54 crore in cash, ₹57.43 crore via cheques, ₹26.46 crore through RTGS transfers, ₹6.46 crore via EDC payments, ₹4.54 crore through NEFT transactions, and ₹3.64 crore through DD payments.
Breaking it down by property type, the highest number of taxpayers, at 3,22,758, belong to the residential category, followed by 29,778 in the commercial sector, 8,391 with mixed-use properties, 2,787 industrial property owners, and 2,875 vacant landowners. It's noteworthy that a majority of taxpayers hail from the Wakad, Sangvi, Chinchwad, and Thergaon areas.
PCMC Commissioner Shekhar Singh credited the success to "Project Siddhi," a campaign that involved the distribution of property tax bills through women's self-help groups. This initiative achieved a 100% distribution rate and played a pivotal role in encouraging timely payments, while also creating employment opportunities for the participating groups.
Assistant Commissioner Nilesh Deshmukh emphasized that the department's primary focus now shifts towards collecting taxes from the remaining 40% of property owners who have yet to fulfill their tax obligations.
