Some NMC employees as well as Pachpaoli police tried to suppress irregularities is assessment of Property Tax
Nagpur: In view of missing property records in NMC in massive scale, the State Information Commissioner (SIC) directed Nagpur Municipal Corporation officials to forthwith register FIR about missing files relating to Property Tax Department.
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Monday 03 Feb. 2025
At the same time, the State Information Commissioner (Nagpur Bench) Rahul Pande also directed the Municipal Commissioner to investigate the entire matter and submit a compliance report to the Commission. The SIC also directed Assistant Commissioner, Lakadganj Zone, to register a criminal case and undertake investigation into missing civic body records pertaining to Ashi Nagar Zone of NMC.
An RTI activist Shankar Gulani, a whistle-blower on irregularities perpetuated in Property Tax by some employees of civic body, approached the SIC after NMC as well Pachpaoli police tried to suppress the matter. The case pertains to Ashi Nagar Zone and Gulani pointed out irregularities on the part of Tax Inspectors in assessment of tax. He could not get the documents sought under the RTI. Gulani said that the matter pertains to wrong doings in tax assessment wherein the laid down procedure was not followed by Tax Inspectors. The same is about tax assessed on plots in 572 and 1900 layouts as per rules, post 2105 when notices were to be issued as per revised the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act.
However, instead of issuing the bill, arbitrarily tax was fixed and amount taken from citizens, but the same was not entered into the system as the entire procedure was short circulated. Later, he took up the matter with NMC officials and showed them receipts issued to citizens but whose record was not found in the tax office. A separate register of such receipts was kept at Ashi Nagar Zone and Gulani asked for notices of Section 135 that is to be issued post assessment of property tax. However, as the same was not with NMC, the game about denial of information began.
Finally, after much correspondence, the Assistant Commissioner, Ashi Nagar Zone, mentioned the fact that the said record went missing from office. Since the case pertains to illegalities, the same needs registration of an FIR to find out the truth. However, NMC officials continued to stall the process. Even Panchpaoli police was not very helpful. As such Gulani filed an appeal before the SIC. The State Information Commissioner in its judgement given on April 26, 2022, also directed the Commissioner of Police to monitor the investigation and submit an action taken report.
