Cheques for Rs 24.5 lakh deposited to pay property tax dishonoured

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 30

Though the Municipal Corporation of Amritsar has yet to recover payments from those residents whose cheques, presented to pay property tax, were bounced during the last three years, several cheques for Rs 24.5 lakh deposited during March 2021 have been dishonoured.

Even as the MC Commissioner had instructed the zonal superintendents to not get the payment of property tax through cheques, tax payers managed to deposit cheques which were later dishonoured.

Earlier during the last fiscal, around 150 cheques for Rs 16 lakh were dishonoured. At present, the number of cheque bounce cases stands at 162.

Following this, MC Commissioner Komal Mittal authorised MC Secretary Sushant Bhatia to exercise all powers to take legal action against defaulters.

Bhatia said, “The Commissioner instructed us to issue legal notices to property owners and occupants (whose cheques were dishonoured) under Section 138-C of the Negotiable Instruments Act. Komal asked us to maintain a record of property tax and ask for report about the recovery of dishonoured cheques. The superintendents concerned would be responsible for the recovery.”

The Nodal officer for property tax on Friday issued 16 notices to those property owners whose cheques were dishonoured. The MC asked the property owners to respond to the notice within three working days otherwise further action would be taken.