Civic bodies facing financial crunch

Vizianagaram: Property tax, a main source of income for civic bodies, has not been collected properly in several towns in Vizianagaram district and as a result, municipalities are facing financial crunch.

Outstanding dues of property taxes have become a major hurdle for the authorities in taking up the development activities in municipalities in north Andhra, according to sources.

Only 30 per cent of property taxes were collected so far in Vizianagaram Municipal Corporation. As per the government records, only 45 per cent of the dues are collected till date in other municipalities in the district and rest of the amount would be recovered in a phased manner, sources added. The municipal governing bodies are facing financial crunch to provide basic amenities in wards as per the requirement.

If the municipalities could collect the tax properly they can provide internal roads, water connections and can maintain parks, community halls. Hence, the governing bodies of these towns are forced to depend up on the State government or Union government for funds under various schemes.

Even the towns are not in a position to provide drinking water regularly and cannot lay cement roads in Vizianagaram, Parvathipuram, Bobbili. Now, the public need to wait for drinking water for two days in Vizianagaram. Even the governing bodies are not in a position to collect tax properly.

The revenue employees are regularly sending notices to the tax defaulters, but in vain. K Nagaraju, Municipal Commissioner of Vizianagaram, said: “We are deploying additional staff to collect the long pending dues. Unless we collect the dues we cannot provide facilities to public”.