PMC’s property tax crackdown faces strong opposition: Villagers plan massive protest

PANVEL: While Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) is strengthening its crackdown on property tax defaulters with over 350 attachment notices and 14 warrants, the villagers in its jurisdiction are opposing the demand. They have displayed banners offering their villages for sale in protest and are organising a massive morcha on Thursday to challenge the demand.
Not stopping at issuing pre-attachment notices PMC has now also sent warrants to the tax defaulters. PMC published a list of 101 industrial, 107 non-residential, and 100 residential defaulters in the newspaper earlier this month. Out of 3.5 lakh identified properties, 77,000 property owners have paid their taxes, leaving 2.80 lakh defaulters on the PMC’s radar. The civic body recovered ₹560 crore in property tax dues since it began its collection. In the present financial year, it has so far collected ₹268 crore.
PMC commissioner Ganesh Deshmukh said, “We mean business. After initial notices and attachment notices, we have begun issuing warrants for attachment. Eight warrants have been issued so far in various nodes.”
He added, “Several defaulters have started paying after attachment notices were issued to them. In the month ahead we shall further intensify our action. We will start attaching the properties as well for those who still have not cleared their dues. The defaulters need to seriously take into account our strong intent.”
While there has been opposition from some nodal areas and legal challenges, the strong resistance comes from the 29 villages included in PMC’s jurisdiction. Villagers, discontent with the tax levied, have put up banners declaring their villages for sale. They have also planned a massive morcha to the civic body on Thursday to oppose the `unjustified’ tax levied on them. Meetings are being held in the villages where voices are demanding that the villages be excluded from the civic body.
A Sangharsh committee representing 15 villages demanded the same tax rate as the erstwhile gram panchayat and has engaged in demonstrations at the civic body offices. Pandurang Mhatre, a resident of Kalundare village said, “The villagers cannot pay such high property tax and hence the banner to sell the village. What else can we do?”
Mhatre also said, “We have not seen much development in the past seven years since PMC was established. All we have got are assurances. We still do not have several basic facilities.”
Mhatre alleged, “The villages are facing issues of water supply, sewage disposal, roads, drains, etc. This is the time we can demand it. On what basis is the civic body demanding such a large amount in tax from us?”
Mahesh Bhagat of Kamothe village added, “We paid much less during the gram panchayat times, and we are fine with it. This civic body is a huge burden sans much benefit.”
In response, municipal commissioner Deshmukh assured that the civic body is positive about addressing villagers’ demands and is working on various measures for balanced development in both nodal and rural areas. The matter is currently sub judice, and he appealed to villagers not to agitate, emphasising the civic body’s commitment to ensuring balanced development.