₹15-cr property tax default: Choppers seized, water supply disconnected

THE CIVIC BODY SAID MESCO AIRLINES DEFAULTED ON PROPERTY TAX PAYMENT OF ₹1.64 CRORE, WHILE WADHWA TRADE CENTRE OWES IT₹13.3 CRORE

MUMBAI: Intensifying its action against property tax defaulters, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday seized two helicopters of Mesco Airlines and disconnected water supply to Wadhwa Trade Centre, a commercial complex in Bandrakurla Complex.

Mesco Airlines had defaulted property tax payment worth ₹1.64 crore. A team of the officials from BMC’S tax department, led by VP Mote, the assistant municipal commissioner of K (West) ward (Andheri), seized two helicopters, followed by a warning notice that was served to the firm, asking it to pay the pending amount for the 35,000 square feet area allotted for it hanger (space to park helicopters) at Santacruz on 35,000 square feet area.

HT tried contacting Mesco Airlines, but they were not reachable till the time of going to press.

According to the officials, Mesco Airlines has not paid the tax since 2018-19. Initially, the airport authority and the airline had passed the buck on each other over the pending property tax dues. However, after the civic officials verified the documents, BMC issued a ‘Schedule G’ notice to attach property belonging to

Mesco Airlines last year in February. As the next step, the civic body’s property tax department on Tuesday issued a ‘Schedule K’ notice to seize the moveable properties against pending dues of property tax.

In a similar action, the civic body disconnected water supply to Wadhwa Trade Centre after its owner, Vijay Wadhwa, failed to pay the property tax in stipulated time. The ground-plus-19th floor commercial structure owes the civic body ₹13.30 crore since 2013. Deputy municipal commissioner Ramesh Pawar said, “Initially we have issued notice to the concerned party to pay tax due.but after ignorance we disconnected the water supply and then decided to seize movable properties.”

“The said property is near BKC but at the Kurla-kalina area where the ready reckoner rates are nearly half as compared to BKC. But the BMC applied 20% more property tax than BKC for us. We have been constantly writing about it to the BMC but the matter has not been taken up yet and officials are constantly asking us to pay the dues which are not rightly calculated. Now like we have been doing for previous years, we will pay this amount and expect that the ready reckoner rate will be corrected in the next few months,” said Wadhwa.

Earlier in 2016, the BMC had seized the assets such as furniture,computers,televisions, refrigerators, and other valuables of tax defaulters. This year on February 19, the civic body launched an awareness drive and warned tax defaulters that they will repeat the 2016 action.

“First, we decided to seize commercial movable properties, following which we will move towards seizing residential and individual properties. This is the last option to recover pending dues by auctioning the property,” said Sangita Hasnale, assistant municipal commissioner of tax collection department.

Recently, the corporation had also started an initiative of sending drummers to societies and made announcements on different platforms to create awareness among citizens to paying their pending property taxes at the earliest.