GHMC Urges People To Utilise One-Time Settlement Scheme

GHMC Commissioner R V Karnan today urged property taxpayers to take advantage of the One-Time Settlement (OTS) Scheme, which offers a 90% rebate on interest for pending property tax dues.

The Commissioner said that the scheme would remain in force until March 31, and appealed to citizens to make the most of this opportunity.

Speaking at a press conference at the GHMC Head Office, he said that out of 28.08 lakh property taxpayers in the Core Urban Area (CURE) area, around 16.80 lakh taxpayers had already paid their property taxes.

He also said that property tax collections in the CURE area, which includes GHMC, MMC and CMC, had witnessed a notable increase.

Rs 2,186 crore had been collected so far in the current financial year, while by the same date in the previous financial year the total collection stood at Rs 1,984 crore, he said.

To promote transparency and accountability in tax payments, the GHMC had facilitated online property tax payments through MeeSeva centres, the GHMC website (www.ghmc.gov.in), Citizen Service Centres and the MyGHMC mobile application, Karnan said.

With only 15 days remaining for the OTS deadline, the GHMC had intensified its public awareness campaign to encourage taxpayers to avail themselves of the scheme, he said. Awareness campaigns were being conducted across the CURE area at the grassroots level through 100 bus shelters across the city, and special awareness videos and audio messages had been prepared and were being widely broadcast through cable news channels, FM radio stations and social media platforms, he added.

He also warned property tax payers who failed to clear long-pending tax dues that strict action would be taken under the GHMC Act against them.

Apart from tax payments, several services such as property assessment, corrections and other related services were also available through the MyGHMC application, and the GHMC was committed to providing efficient and technology-driven governance across its jurisdiction, he added.