Drum beating against tax defaulters pays off
13 Dec 2012 12:15 AM GMT
Resorting to the decades-old practice of beating drums has started fetching results for the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC). The body had decided to beat drums outside the houses of tax defaulters, to shame them into paying.
On Wednesday in Malviya Nagar area, a property owner gave a cheque for Rs 2 lakh to the SDMC team to prevent ‘social embarrassment’, and submitted in writing that he will clear all dues within three days. Over a dozen tax defaulters also bargained for a week’s time to prevent drum beating in front of their doors. The Millennium Post was the first to report on this move in its edition on 8 August 2012.
‘Drum beating has created unprecedented awareness and is sensitising people. Weekly recovery has increased. We are planning to extend the drum beating exercise to posh areas, such as Sainik Farm, Green Park, Vasant Kunj, Maharani Bagh, South Extension- I and II, and New Friends Colony,’ said B N Singh, Assessor and Collector of SDMC.
‘At present, we are handling only commercial properties but residential properties will also be covered very soon,’ added Singh. The corporation hires private drum parties for the purpose.
On Wednesday, when the drum beating team reached A-55 in Malviya Nagar, owner Amit Batra came out immediately and requested the team to stop. Similarly, another property owner in the area immediately handed over a cheque for Rs 50,000. ‘Over a dozen property owners gave us in writing to clear their dues within one week,’ said R C Meena, Joint Assessor and Collector of SDMC, who headed the team on Wednesday.
‘The collection has increased over 50 per cent. Property owners are coming with requests to make small instalments of their hefty dues,’ added Meena.
On Wednesday in Malviya Nagar area, a property owner gave a cheque for Rs 2 lakh to the SDMC team to prevent ‘social embarrassment’, and submitted in writing that he will clear all dues within three days. Over a dozen tax defaulters also bargained for a week’s time to prevent drum beating in front of their doors. The Millennium Post was the first to report on this move in its edition on 8 August 2012.
‘Drum beating has created unprecedented awareness and is sensitising people. Weekly recovery has increased. We are planning to extend the drum beating exercise to posh areas, such as Sainik Farm, Green Park, Vasant Kunj, Maharani Bagh, South Extension- I and II, and New Friends Colony,’ said B N Singh, Assessor and Collector of SDMC.
‘At present, we are handling only commercial properties but residential properties will also be covered very soon,’ added Singh. The corporation hires private drum parties for the purpose.
On Wednesday, when the drum beating team reached A-55 in Malviya Nagar, owner Amit Batra came out immediately and requested the team to stop. Similarly, another property owner in the area immediately handed over a cheque for Rs 50,000. ‘Over a dozen property owners gave us in writing to clear their dues within one week,’ said R C Meena, Joint Assessor and Collector of SDMC, who headed the team on Wednesday.
‘The collection has increased over 50 per cent. Property owners are coming with requests to make small instalments of their hefty dues,’ added Meena.
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