NAGPUR: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation‘s chronic cash crunch has less to do with lack of revenue sources and more with its failure to crack down on big-ticket defaulters. Data from NMC’s property tax department reveals that 474 commercial property owners within city limits owe more than Rs5 lakh each, pushing the total outstanding amount to a staggering Rs303 crore.
The unpaid dues comprise Rs137 crore in arrears, Rs151 crore as penalty, and Rs14.90 crore as current demand — figures that point to years of non-payment and weak enforcement. Despite repeated claims of recovery drives, these high-value defaulters continue to sit on dues that could single-handedly finance several critical civic works.
Zone-wise data shows that the burden is concentrated in prime commercial pockets. Laxmi Nagar tops the list with Rs78.45 crore in pending dues, followed closely by Lakadganj Rs73.90 crore and Dhantoli Rs70.10 crore. Hanuman Nagar (Rs29.22 crore) and Dharampeth (Rs26.77 crore) also feature prominently. Even zones such as Nehru Nagar, Ashi Nagar and Gandhibagh together account for several crores, indicating that the defaults are widespread and not incidental.
Civic officials concede that the locked-up amount is more than sufficient to overhaul Nagpur‘s crumbling road infrastructure. With Rs303 crore, the NMC could resurface damaged roads, eliminate potholes, and build new cement concrete roads across multiple zones — issues that continue to dominate public complaints year after year.
The amount could also be used to meet the civic body’s matching share for state and central govt-funded projects, which often get delayed due to a lack of municipal contribution. Projects such as Nag river pollution abatement plan, stormwater upgrades and sewage infrastructure could see faster execution if these dues were recovered, officials admitted.
Deputy municipal commissioner (property tax) Milind Meshram said the civic body has now identified non-residential properties with dues exceeding Rs5 lakh and plans to act zone-wise. “These high-value defaulters will be specifically targeted in each zone to recover the dues,” Meshram told TOI. He further said all assistant commissioners of 10 zones were tasked with issuing warrants to these tax defaulters. “If the defaulters fail to pay the outstanding tax, the civic body will start attaching their properties, followed by auction,” he clarified.
However, critics argue that identification without decisive action is NMC’s standard approach for years. “Small homeowners face penalties for minor delays, while commercial establishments owing crores continue business as usual. This is not revenue leakage — it is institutional failure,” said a civic activist.
With no election shield left and public patience wearing thin, the spotlight is now firmly on whether NMC finally moves beyond notices and statements to actual recovery, attachment and sealing — or allows Rs303 crore to remain locked away while the city’s infrastructure continues to crumble.
