SDMC attaches bank A/Cs of SAI, Jamia Hamdard, posh hotel over tax dues

Cracking down on defaulters, SDMC has in the last fortnight attached bank accounts of Sports Authority of India (SAI), Jamia Hamdard University, a plush private hotel and several farm houses to recover property taxes "due" from these entities, the civic body today said.
"Bank accounts of Sports Authority of India (due Rs 134.47 crore), Jamia Hamdard University (due Rs 14.89 crore) and Acharya Narendra Dev College (due Rs 89.46 lakh) have been attached in this process, and the property tax dues have been partly recovered," the South Delhi Municipal Corporation said.
The Assessment & Collection Department of SDMC is taking stern action against the defaulters of property tax and has attached bank accounts and properties of many defaulters in the last fortnight.

"Continuing with the process of recovery of property tax dues from the farm houses, bank accounts of 70 farm houses have been attached during the last few days in the areas of Daulatpur, Kapashera, Mehrauli, Sultanpur, Nangli Sakrawati, Neelwal, Goyla Khurd, Paprawat, Mitraon, Maksundabad, Malikpur, Bijwasan, Ghitorni, Deramandi, Gadaipur, Fatepur Beri, etc.," Joint Assessor & Collector Radha Krishan, looking after the cases of farm houses, said.
According to SDMC, "One of the top defaulters of property tax is Raddison Blu Hotel in Dwarka, against which Rs 4.40 crore of due is outstanding. The department has attached all the four bank accounts of this concern. Since sufficient balance was not available in these accounts, the property of the hotel has also been attached."

Sources in the Assessment & Collection Department said that if the amount is not recovered "soon, the process of auction of the hotel to recover the property tax dues will be started by the department".

"The department has given them every opportunity available under law to liquidate their dues, but due to non-compliance of the assessment orders, A&C Department has attached the properties of the farm houses as a last resort to collect the legitimate property tax," SDMC Commissioner Puneet Kumar Goel said.
Many government and semi-government departments and organisations are also defaulters of property tax.
The department has launched the drive to recover property tax dues from such defaulters by attaching their bank accounts, SDMC said.