The BMC's assessment and collection department has issued notices to several Mumbai Metro contractors for over INR 370 crore in unpaid property tax. As metro construction works are ongoing across the city, contractors are liable to pay taxes on casting yard plots but some like HCC-MMC, CEC-ITD, Doga Soma and L&T have reported delays. Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL), which operates the city's first metro line, also owns two large land parcels in Andheri West but has not submitted taxes since 2013, leading the Andheri East and West wards to issue notices for INR 80 crore and INR 220 crore respectively. The BMC warns of cutting water supply or auctioning attached properties if dues remain unpaid by the fiscal year-end.
The BMC's assessment and collection department has issued a notice to the Mumbai Metro rail contractors for defaulting on property tax payment amounting to over INR 370 crores.
BMC said that as Metro works are ongoing at several locations in the city, the contractors are contractually liable to pay the property tax of the casting yard plot. However, delays have been reported from contractors like HCC - MMC, CEC - ITD, Doga Soma, and L&T.
Mumbai Metro One (MMOPL) operates an 11.5 km long metro line between Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar. This is Mumbai's first metro line which has been built on the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. Anil Ambani-owned R-Infra holds a major stake (74%) in MMOPL, while MMRDA holds 26%. The MMOPL also possesses two big land parcels in Andheri west for which property tax has not been submitted.
Metro stations like LIC Andheri Metro station, Western Express Highway, JB Nagar, Airport Road, Marol Station and Marol Substation fall in Andheri East Ward. According to civic sources, MMOPL has not paid any property tax since 2013 and the notices have been issued by the Andheri east and Andheri west wards for INR 80 crore and INR 220 crore, respectively.
Previously in March 2022, the BMC had attached 24 properties of Mumbai Metro --1 including Azad Nagar, Versova and DN Nagar metro stations for non-payment of property tax since it began operations.
If property tax is not paid by the end of the financial year, the BMC will cut off the water supply, and in extreme cases, the attached properties may be auctioned.
Meanwhile, the BMC has collected INR 2,398 crore of property tax against its target of INR 4,500 crore for fiscal 2023-24. Property tax is the second-highest revenue source of income for the municipal corporation.
Of this the maximum property tax had been collected from the K/East ward which accounted for over INR 208 crore, followed by K/West ward (INR 174.15 crore), S division (INR 170.77 crore) and H/East ward (INR 168.34 crore). Meanwhile, nearly INR 9.15 crore of property tax has been procured from government assets.
Advertisement
Facebook
Whatsapp
