Pune: PMC has announced a special tax audit to recover property tax from newly merged areas. The decision was taken during a standing committee meeting on Thursday.The audit will cover both legal and illegal properties within the merged villages. According to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) data, the administration is yet to recover over ₹2,500 crore from property owners in these areas.“A property-wise inquiry into assessment errors and potential revenue leakages, alongside fixing responsibility on relevant officials, will be central to this audit. Our goal is to ensure better management of tax levies in these regions,” said Shrinath Bhimale, the chairman of the standing committee.The resolution specifies that the audit must verify whether tax assessments in the merged villages were conducted on smaller-than-actual property sizes or based on incorrect usage. It will also identify untaxed constructions and calculate the revenue loss caused by unauthorized structures.Specifically, the audit will inspect property numbers and sanctioned versus actual construction areas, taxable areas and the actual usage of the buildings, tax assessments, reassessments, demands, recoveries, and arrears.To ensure accountability, the committee has requested an officer-wise report to identify staff responsible for assessment errors. A joint inspection team, comprising officials from the tax assessment, building permission, town planning, and ward office departments, will be formed. If negligence or a breach of rules is discovered, disciplinary action will be taken. In cases of deliberate revenue loss or record tampering, legal action will be pursued to recover outstanding amounts. A detailed audit report and an action taken report must be submitted to the Standing Committee within 30 days.In another major move, the committee approved the appointment of a private consultant to develop a real-time traffic data management system. This is part of the process of establishing the Pune Urban Mobility Cell. The consultant will be appointed for three years at an annual cost of Rs2.37 crore.The road department’s proposal involves integrating traffic and travel data from various sources, including telecom companies and private agencies, CCTV footage, GPS-based public transport, and parking management systems, apps such as Pune Urban, Road Mitra, and Mahapreet, road asset management system (RAMS), GIS, and the citizen grievance redressal portal.“This integrated platform will allow us to identify congestion hotspots, frequently obstructed routes, and accident-prone areas for immediate remedial action,” said a senior official from the PMC’s road department. “The data will also support signal coordination, junction redesigning, and the development of footpaths and cycle tracks.”The standing committee also unanimously sanctioned a proposal to provide free birth certificates for girls born in Pune. This resolution aims to foster a spirit of respect for women and support gender equality within the city.
