Raipur: Ahead of the June 30 deadline for a 6.25% rebate for prompt taxpayers, the Raipur Municipal Corporation (RMC) is preparing stringent action against 84,000 property tax defaulters as it pursues an annual revenue target of over ₹400 crore.
The civic body is aiming to cross the ₹400-crore mark to strengthen its financial autonomy. Officials say recent recovery drives have yielded encouraging results, with collections touching ₹1 crore a day during peak periods.
To identify the remaining evaders among the city’s 3.46 lakh registered properties, the corporation is using a Geographic Information System (GIS) to match physical structures with tax records.
Warning defaulters of legal action, RMC Deputy Commissioner Anjali Sharma told TOI, “Stringent action will be taken against the defaulters. This drive is part of a broader transition towards municipal self-reliance.”
“Under the 74th Constitutional Amendment, urban local bodies are expected to be financially independent,” she said. “We are working towards that goal to sustain civic services and ensure timely payment of employee salaries.” While taxpayers are being encouraged to clear dues through AI-enabled chatbots and digital payment gateways before the rebate window closes, the corporation is simultaneously stepping up enforcement against chronic defaulters.
Besides property tax, RMC is looking to boost income from other sources to meet its target. These include rentals from nearly 4,000 municipal market shops, which currently generate about ₹5 crore annually, along with user charges for door-to-door waste collection, advertisement revenue and administrative penalties.
