Gurugram: The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has begun the process of massive sealing of unauthorised structures across the city.
In the first phase of this process, over 21 commercial establishments were sealed on Friday. All these structures were found to be functioning without appropriate trade licenses and were, therefore, found to be illegal.
Two shops were sealed in Global Foyer mall, seven in Metropolis and 12 in Raheja Mall.
According to the MCG officials, there are 70 more shops in the radar of the municipal body.
Earlier, the Corporation had sealed 55 spa centers, as they were found to be functioning without a proper trade license. These spa centres were mostly located in malls in the Zone-IV area.
The municipal body has taken the action under sectionss 330, 331, 335 and 336 of the 1994 Act.
A senior MCG official said, "The action has been taken by the municipal body as it was found that they were operating without the trade licenses. As per law, we are authorized to seal such commercial units.
"We had prepared a list and have sent him notices several times. Yet we found that there was no action taken. Ultimately we had to take a strict step," he further said.
So far this year, the Corporation has sealed as many as 50 properties that have not paid the property tax or are functioning illegally.
To avoid paying commercial tax, most such commercial units often function from residential colonies.
It is important to note that the Corporation has set an ambitious target of collection Rs 100 crore as property tax, compared to the previous revenue target of Rs 15 crore.
In its endeavour to collect these dues, two wedding banquet halls were recently sealed by the MCG.
These two commercial structures had pending property tax dues of Rs 1.01 crore and Rs 32.25 lakh.