Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has seized 26 properties, including the headquarters of the Sinhagad Institutes in Erandwane, over an outstanding property tax of ₹47.43 crore.
The institute has failed to clear its dues despite court orders to pay the arrears immediately. The PMC has warned that if the pending amount is not paid within 30 days, the seized properties will be auctioned to recover the dues, according to Property Tax Deputy Commissioner Madhav Jagtap.
The Sinhagad Institutes operates educational institutions across Ambegaon Budruk, Kondhwa Budruk, and Erandwane. The institute has not paid property taxes on these buildings for the past five years.
The PMC had earlier issued notices demanding payment, which were contested by the institute in court. The court, however, upheld the PMC's actions and directed the institute to settle the outstanding amount.
Despite these orders, the dues remained unpaid for over a year, leading to an accumulation of ₹47.43 crore. The PMC began a recovery campaign on December 2 to address large-scale tax defaulters, utilizing measures such as property seizures and public notifications.
As part of the campaign, the PMC issued seizure notices for 26 buildings associated with Sinhagad Institutes. Although the properties have not been locked down, and administrative and educational operations can continue, failure to pay within the next month will result in the auctioning of the properties.
Recovery Campaign Progress
In the first five days of the campaign, the PMC has recovered ₹14.14 crore from 165 properties. This has been achieved through creative measures, such as playing bands outside defaulters’ properties to draw attention to their tax liabilities.
With only four months remaining in the financial year, the PMC is aggressively pursuing its revenue target of ₹2,700 crore. Recovery campaigns are being implemented across all 15 ward offices.
