The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued seizure notices to several large property tax defaulters who have failed to clear their outstanding dues despite repeated reminders, civic officials said. The pending amounts in these cases range from Rs 18 crore to more than Rs 140 crore.
According to officials, the action has been initiated under Section 203 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act against defaulters who have the financial capacity to pay but have not complied with tax obligations. The civic body stated that property tax is one of its key revenue sources and must be paid within 90 days of the bill being issued.
Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr Ashwini Joshi has directed departments to initiate strict legal measures if the dues are not cleared immediately, officials said. As part of the enforcement process, the BMC has warned that continued non-payment will result in seizure and auction of assets.
“If tax payment is not made within the prescribed period, movable property will first be seized and auctioned under Sections 204 and 205. If the outstanding amount is still not recovered, the property itself will be auctioned under Section 206,” the notice states.
The BMC follows a structured recovery mechanism that includes personal follow-ups, issuance of demand notices and a final 21-day notice before seizure proceedings are initiated. Despite these steps and the availability of online payment options, several defaulters have continued to delay payments, prompting the civic body to take coercive action.
An official statement said seizure notices have been served along with applicable penalty amounts, as many defaulters ignored earlier communications. The top 20 defaulters include real estate companies and individual property owners with substantial outstanding liabilities.
The civic body has urged all notice recipients to clear their dues at the earliest to avoid further legal action. Citizens have also been reminded that property tax payments can be made online through the official BMC website.
Source: Mid-day
