Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has pinpointed more than one lakh property owners who have collectively evaded taxes amounting to over Rs 100 crore by engaging in the under-assessment of their properties for numerous years. This information was uncovered during the GHMC’s GIS-based survey carried out from August 2024 to December 2025, utilizing drone imagery and high-resolution mapping. More than six lakh properties were evaluated as part of the survey.
The results indicated that a significant portion of the under-assessed properties is located in the Serilingampally, Chandanagar, Moosapet, Kukatpally, and LB Nagar circles—regions that have experienced rapid urbanization, high-rise developments, and increased commercial activities in recent years.
This primarily took place between 2020 and 2023 when the GHMC permitted self-assessment of properties and ceased issuing notices under Section 213 of the GHMC Act, 1955, which mandates property owners to provide detailed information regarding plinth area, usage type, and sanctioned building plans for the assessment or re-assessment of property tax, stated an official, adding, “The alteration in regulations resulted in a significant number of property owners neglecting to submit updated information or disclose modifications made to their properties.”
Officials noted that most of these properties are commercial buildings or rental complexes housing multiple tenants. While owners received rent from various occupants, they reported only a limited number of units for tax purposes.
“In numerous instances, they transformed residential buildings into commercial entities without updating the official records. There are also cases where permissions were granted for warehouses, but the properties were utilized as retail outlets instead, in order to pay a lower tax,” remarked an official.
They believe that the ultimate number of defaulters may be significantly greater. “There are nearly 20 lakh properties within the GHMC jurisdiction. Although over one lakh properties have been identified as under assessed from six lakh verifications, this figure is anticipated to increase as the city-wide survey progresses in the upcoming months,” stated Anurag Jayanthi, additional commissioner (IT & revenue) of GHMC. He further remarked: “We have been sending notices to the defaulters requesting them to settle their dues.”
GHMC has also merged Property Tax Identification Number (PTIN) data with electricity service connections from TGSPDCL, enabling officials to cross-check property usage and occupancy trends. This integration has led to the identification of numerous under-assessed properties throughout Hyderabad.
To date, 14,999 properties have undergone field verification, resulting in an additional revenue collection of Rs 7.40 crore. With ongoing verification efforts, officials anticipate a significant increase in revenue recovery.
