42 years on, Sonegaon lake not assessed for property tax

Times of India‎: Nagpur: Saturday, September 10, 2016.

Call it height of negligence. Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has not assessed Sonegaon lake, still a private property, for property tax for the last 42 years. Activists have demanded action against officials concerned of the NMC property tax department and also to adjust property tax amount against compensation for lake's acquisition.

The fact has come to fore in the information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by activist TH Naidu. "We are fighting for acquisition of the lake for last 36 years. I wanted to know status of property tax on the lake and sought information under RTI Act. Public information officer of NMC Laxmi Nagar Zone responded there was no information related to lake's khasra in their records. He asked me to give property's index or house number. I filed an appeal with assistant commissioner of Laxmi Nagar Zone GM Rathod who said there was no record about lake's property tax assessment. He stated property tax was never levied on the lake," Naidu said.

He claimed it was an irregularity that caused a huge financial loss to the civic body. "We can understand a resident or commercial structure not being under property tax. Lake is visible to all and everyone in the NMC knew the water body was private property. I asked Rathod to conduct an assessment of the lake and levy tax. Responsibility should also be fixed on the officials who did not do this all these years," he said.

Naidu said tax amount with interest should be adjusted against acquisition cost of the lake. "NMC had tried to issue transferable development right (TDR) to owners going against the law. Fortunately, the state government made it clear TDR cannot be issued for a water body. NMC can acquire the lake by giving only 25% of ready reckoner value. Process started for acquisition by giving compensation and is pending because of stay from the High Court. I along with president of Jai Jawan Jai Kisan Prashant Pawar had filed public interest litigation in High Court in which directives have been given to NMC to reveal its plan for acquisition," he said.

Naidu also said the government departments had committed several irregularities and mistakes about Sonegaon lake. "District administration had auctioned the lake. Sale deed of the lake was signed with the successful bidders Dr Sudha Nareshchandra Sutariya and Dr Rekha Rani Rajan Bhivapurkar on June 21, 1974. No water body can be sold. Then the NMC spent Rs 3.24 crore on rejuvenation of the lake even before acquiring it," he said.

Rathod told TOI appropriate action would be taken in Sonegaon lake case after taking legal view. "There is no information related to property tax of lake in our records. Assessment of the lake has not been done," he said. A senior NMC official said lake was liable for property tax as a private property. "NMC has to levy property tax of land category," he said.