In a significant move to boost local revenue, the Bengaluru East City Corporation has launched an aggressive crackdown on chronic property tax defaulters, sealing multiple commercial establishments. This enforcement drive gains urgency as the newly formed Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) mandates civic bodies to generate and utilise their own finances, putting the focus squarely on recovering long-pending dues.
Enforcement Drive Targets Top Defaulters
Acting on its mandate to improve local revenue collection, the East corporation initiated a stringent recovery campaign. The authorities first issued notices to the top 100 property tax defaulters in its zone. Following this, enforcement teams conducted inspections at more than 20 commercial establishments. The action resulted in the sealing of nearly half of these inspected properties for non-payment of outstanding taxes.
Officials reported that most defaulters cleared their pending amounts promptly after the enforcement action began. Payments were made through online channels or via cheque to get the seals removed. "With corporations now responsible for generating and utilising their own revenue, recovering long-pending dues will be the main focus," an official stated, confirming that properties are reopened immediately upon payment.
Mounting Pressure to Meet Revenue Targets
The crackdown comes amid mounting pressure on Bengaluru's five civic corporations to meet their annual revenue targets, with the financial year drawing to a close. The Bengaluru East City Corporation had set a formidable property tax collection target of Rs 1,673.5 crore for the 2025-26 financial year. However, collections have lagged, with only Rs 954.9 crore recovered so far. This significant shortfall has prompted the authorities to tighten recovery measures aggressively.
Joint Commissioner Dakshayani K. of Bengaluru East City Corporation emphasised the corporation's stance: "We have given them all a good number of days to pay their arrears. Currently, our main focus is on long-pending arrears, mainly of commercial properties. We're aiming to get the long-pending dues cleared." She outlined the phased approach, stating that after targeting the top 100 defaulters, the drive would move to the next 100.
Scale of Default and Ongoing Action
The scale of the challenge is substantial. The East zone alone has identified approximately 31,000 defaulters. This list includes a wide spectrum: residential properties, commercial complexes, popular food chains, and paying guest (PG) buildings. The corporation follows a standard procedure: demand notices are issued online, providing a 30-day window for payment before coercive actions like sealing are initiated.
Since April 1, the enforcement snapshot reveals the scale of the operation:
- Showcause notices served: 2,689 properties (Amount involved: Rs 4.2 crore)
- Demand notices served: 2,590 properties (Revised demand amount: Rs 3.6 crore)
Corporation officials have stressed that these enforcement drives will continue on a daily basis, systematically moving from one set of defaulters to the next until overall compliance improves. The decentralisation of civic finances under the GBA has fundamentally shifted priorities, making local revenue generation paramount for Bengaluru's civic bodies.
