ADDA launches mobile application to smoothen tax payment process

Durgapur: Asansol Durgapur Development Authority (ADDA) has set December 2018 as the target to integrate its entire leased out land into its online payment gateway service.

"We have prepared a legacy data of these leaseholders after a lot of hard work. There are around 3,000 such leaseholders, whose tax payments are irregular. Once we integrate them in this online payment gateway, we will be able to keep them updated about their dues and the pending rent can be mopped up easily," ADDA CEO Arun Prasad said on the sidelines of the launch of a mobile application for both Android and iOS users, for online payment gateway service.

The ADDA Online app service was formally launched by its chairman Tapas Banerjee at its office in Durgapur on Monday.

It may be mentioned that out of the leased out land belonging to ADDA, 80 percent is residential, 15 percent is commercial and 5 percent is industrial.

"We have already prepared a database of shops and have started the process of registering them under ADDA Online. They will be soon getting alerts of the pending amount and the time period they need to clear their dues. They can pay online or can deposit the amount with a private bank with which we have tied up. Soon, we will tie up with some nationalised banks too," Banerjee said.

A workshop will be held on Wednesday with around 150 shop owners, who will be registered on the online plat-

form.

ADDA, which launched the online platform in June last year, has mopped up Rs 12.5 crore till date and now, with the launch of mobile payment gateway and integrating

shops and hawkers and then the land leaseholders, is hopeful of earning a revenue of around Rs 25 crore by June 2019.

Most of these shop owners would visit the ADDA office once in three months, collect details of payments and then clear the dues. Delayed payments had become a cause of worry.

The online payment gateway for collection of various fees like development

charges, water charges, mortgage fees, transfer fees and ground rent, among others, have relieved the residents from the hassle of travelling to the ADDA office.

ADDA covers an extensive area of 1,603 square km, comprising two municipal corporations and eight development blocks.