Prayagraj: More than 90,000 property owners in Prayagraj are set to receive major relief in house tax dues as the Municipal Corporation prepares to launch a One Time Settlement (OTS) scheme from the first week of June. Under the proposed scheme, interest on pending house tax dues for both residential and commercial properties will be waived, benefiting thousands of defaulters across the city.Officials said nearly Rs 90 crore in accumulated interest is likely to be waived under the scheme, which will remain effective for four months till Sept. The city has over three lakh registered properties, of which nearly two lakh owners regularly deposit house tax every year. However, around 90,000 to one lakh property owners currently have outstanding dues exceeding Rs 125 crore, including nearly Rs 90 crore as interest.The proposal gained momentum after a video conference held on Monday between Urban Development minister AK Sharma and mayors across Uttar Pradesh regarding implementation of the OTS scheme. Prayagraj Mayor Ganesh Kesarwani said in-principle approval for the scheme has been received and the govt order is expected within a week.The mayor stated that the demand for implementing an OTS scheme was pending for several years and the decision was taken keeping public interest in mind. He added that a similar scheme was introduced seven to eight years ago, but it was limited only to commercial properties. This time, residential properties have also been included.Chief Tax Assessment Officer Sanjay Mamgai said the scheme would help increase revenue collection for the civic body. PMC has fixed a target of collecting Rs 160 crore in house tax during the current financial year. So far, over 18,000 property owners have deposited more than Rs 5 crore in taxes.The corporation is also focusing on newly expanded urban areas after 97 gram sabhas were merged into the city limits. More than 1.79 lakh properties have been identified in these extended areas and tax bills are being issued. However, officials clarified that house tax will not be collected from areas lacking basic civic amenities such as electricity, drinking water, roads and drainage facilities. The corporation plans to conduct surveys and ensure essential infrastructure before imposing taxes in such localities.
