The Trichy Corporation, which embarked on a drive to collect pending property dues, has collected Rs 2.35 crore in a day from commercial establishments renting the civic body’s properties.
A registered society, which was evading payment from 1980, paid 80 lakh in a single payment after being threatened with lock and seal action.
Corporation sources said that 2,471 properties have been rented to government departments, cooperative societies and private people.
Clubbed under the non-tax revenue category (revenue not generated from taxes), the civic body was supposed to fetch Rs 13 crore revenue on an average every financial year.
The tenants, lessees defaulting the rent or lease amount owe around Rs 40 crore to the civic body since the last two years.
The occupants have been utilising the legal provisions to challenge the demand notices, and also political clout to avoid paying the dues. But, with the polling completed, authorities are pursuing tough measures to collect the pending rent or lease amount since the civic body is reeling under a fund crunch.
Recently, a recreational club was sealed by the district administration and revenue authorities for not paying the rent amounting to Rs 9 crore.
In K Abishekapuram zone, officials managed to collect 80 lakh rental due from the society registered under the cooperatives department. “A society that manages seven shops on EVR Road was delaying the annual lease. We told them to pay the outstanding sum or face a lock and seal action,” a senior revenue official said.
After the warning, the society paid the entire dues at one go.
In Ponmalai zone, the civic body sealed four shops in the Central bus stand and one standalone shop on SBI Road for non-payment of rent. The shops owe around Rs 20 lakh.
“We have planned to collect pending non-tax revenue to a maximum possible extent within the month,” another senior official said.
