COVID-19 HITS GHMC SURVEYS, PROPERTY TAX COLLECTION

After the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), recent developments pertaining to the

Covid-19 has affected the ongoing surveys conducted by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).

The civic body has embarked on a geographic information systems (GIS) survey to bring all unassessed property into the property tax ambit. The survey was first halted by citizens under the misconception that the centre with the support of the corporation was gathering the personal information of every individual. People even confronted officials and restrained them from taking pictures.

Upset over the developments, the corporation sought the help of local corporators and asked them to explain to the public the purpose of the GIS survey. It had also managed to complete 38 per cent of the survey.

However, recent developments have forced the civic body to bring the survey to a grinding halt. The corporation asked the field staff to stop the survey after the Covid-19 cases reported in the city. Officials also worry about the annual property tax collection. As of today, they are already falling short of `500 crore against the target of `1,800 crore.

According to highly placed sources, the corporation divided the Greater Hyderabad area into 340 sections and prepared dockets. The corporation has also brought over 12,000 unassessed properties in to the tax net.

Sources said that the recent decision by the corporation to stop the GIS survey would badly hit the ongoing property tax collection and said that it would be herculean task to reach the set target within the

15 days remaining for the end of the financial year.

The corporation till date has collected `1,304 crore. With tight deadlines, the civic authorities have knocked the doors of the state government and asked them to amend the GHMC Act in compliance with the new Municipal Act. Officials argue that the new Municipal Act enables the corporation to minimise human interface where the property owners could self-certify their structure and clear property tax bills online.

A senior GHMC official, on condition of anonymity, said, “We have a great opportunity to amend the GHMC Act during the ongoing assembly session. If self-certification is extensively implemented in the civic body, targets could be achieved during the early bird rebate scheme (which offers the tax payer a five per cent rebate).”

“In the cascading effect, rampant corruption in the revenue wing will also be eradicated. However, the self- certification of properties will test the credibility of citizens as, if found guilty, they would penalised 25 times higher,” the official added.