Varanasi: Building owners can avail a 100% waiver on interest accrued on house tax and water tax arrears under the One-Time Settlement (OTS) scheme until Dec 14, following an extension of the application deadline by UP govt in public interest.The Varanasi Municipal Corporation announced on Sunday that eligible property owners can now submit applications until Dec 14, while the final disposal of applications will continue until Jan 15, 2027. All other terms and conditions of the scheme remain unchanged.Municipal commissioner Shashwat Tripuri said defaulters were being reminded through SMS, phone calls and chatbots to take advantage of the scheme. He warned that failure to clear dues within the stipulated period would invite strict recovery measures, including attachment of houses and properties.Across the city’s eight zones, 97,918 building owners owe Rs 295.67 crore in house tax, including Rs 209.95 crore in principal dues and Rs 85.72 crore in interest. Despite the full interest waiver, only 25,075 owners have applied so far, covering dues of Rs 70.01 crore. Of these, just 4,574 have made payments totalling Rs 8.89 crore, taking the recovery rate to 4.23%.The Dashashwamedh zone has the highest outstanding dues, at Rs 68.37 crore across 15,205 properties. Ramnagar has recorded the highest recovery rate at 20.61%, while Sarnath has reported the lowest, at 1.56%.
