The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is yet to levy and recover property tax for the last 45 years from the owners of Sonegaonlake. The process to take possession of the lake has been started. The cash-strapped civic body will lose property tax in crores if the water body is taken over before assessment and recovery of the tax.
NMC has already incurred hefty loss due to delay in assessment of Sonegaon lake for levying property tax on the two owners — Dr RekharaniBhiwapurkar and late Dr SudhaSutaria. NMC cannot recover property tax going back more than six years. Thus, NMC has already lost tax for 39 years.
RTI activist TH Naidu has demanded an inquiry against officials who neglected or avoided collecting property tax on the water body. “The owners had procured the lake in an auction by Court of Wards falling under the district administration in 1971. Sale deed was executed between the Court of Wards and two owners in 1974,” he said.
