MC concludes probe in property tax scam

Time of India

3 days ago

Ludhiana: MC Thursday completed its probe in a scam involving fudging of the payment of property tax to the civic body. A staff of MC's zone 'C' office is also suspected to be involved in it.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Well-placed sources said the authorities are planning to take action against the violators, both within and outside MC. The MC employee, who is a suspect, is reportedly claiming innocence. The suspect has also offered to get a narco test done, the sources said.
The matter relates to a property in block 29, whose property tax was not paid from 2013 to 2024-25. MC issued them a notice, but their reply stated that they were a charitable institution, on which property tax was not applicable.
However, in view of the rules, another notice was served asking them to cough up Rs 82 lakh, folllowing which Rs 28 lakh was deposited in the account of the MC. But the receipts were tampered with, and the amount deposited in the MC account was shown as Rs 50 lakh.
The sources said the fact that property tax receipts were tampered with has been confirmed, which administrative officials view as a serious crime. It is being said that while questions are being raised on the integrity of the MC staff, those who paid the property tax are also under suspicion.
The inquiry was initiated at the behest of MC commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal.
Dachalwal said, "The inquiry has been completed at the level of joint commissioner Ankur Mahindroo. I am yet to receive an official copy. After proper verification, we will recommend an FIR against the erring persons, whether within or outside MC."
It must be recalled that a letter was also sent to the CMO recently for conducting a vigilance inquiry against erring officials. The officials were accused of being negligent in their duty.