Despite 100% Interest WaiverPanchkula: The Panchkula municipal corporation (MC) has recovered a meager ₹5.9 crore out of over ₹100 crore in outstanding property tax dues, despite offering a 100% interest waiver scheme that ended on June 30.Out of 1,04,631 total properties in the city, only 44,002 (42.05%) are self-certified. The civic body’s latest data revealed that while collections stood at ₹4.3 crore by mid-June, last-minute turnouts at property tax camps pushed the final recovery for the first quarter of the fiscal to ₹5.9 crore.Major defaulters with individual dues exceeding ₹2 lakh account for nearly ₹40 crore of the total pending amount. The MC had issued first notices to 752 such tax assessees, but only 47 stepped forward to make payments. The corporation is now preparing to serve second notices to the remaining 705 defaulters, most of which are commercial and govt buildings that consistently fail to clear their dues.Municipal commissioner Vinay Kumar has ordered officials to identify these major defaulters on priority and issue rules-based notices, warning that the corporation will adopt a significantly stricter approach moving forward. Persistent non-compliance will lead to a final notice followed by legal intervention.“If required, the corporation may also resort to measures such as sealing the properties to recover outstanding dues. Strengthening recovery efforts would improve the corporation’s financial position and enable better delivery of civic services to residents,” Kumar said.
