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Cracking the whip on Panjab University (PU) over non-clearance of property tax dues, the Chandigarh municipal corporation has given it 15 days to remove its belongings from its buildings, failing which no further opportunity to do so will be given and the premises will be sealed.

The order has been pasted on buildings, including that of the Physics department, administrative block, PL Anand auditorium, geography department. Varsity officials said that ₹ 21 crore as property tax is pending.

According to the order issued by MC, the varsity has been served tax demand notices from time to time but PU has not cleared the dues.

Now, additional MC commissioner, Chandigarh, has ordered for the attachment of immovable property i.e., The Registrar, Panjab University, Sector 14 Chandigarh.

The order states that regular tax demand notices were served from time to time upon as per the provisions of Section 101 of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act 1976 (as extended to UT Chandigarh) for making the payment of property tax from the date of its commencement and thereafter in each assessment year. The property tax was levied from November 22, 2004.

The Punjab MC Act 1976 provides to recover the tax payable either by distraint and sale of defaulter’s movable property or by attachment and sale of defaulter’s immoveable property or by attachment of rent due in respect of the property or by suit.

The assistant collector (tax), MC Chandigarh, has also been directed to depute Sanjay Sharma (tax inspector) as warrant officer for the execution of the orders after 15 days of its receipt by the occupiers. UT chief engineer has also been directed to disconnect electricity supply immediately on the directions of the warrant officer.

As per the orders, assistant estate officer has been directed not to entertain the requests of sale/purchase or any other matters related to the university till the clearance of property tax.

After the notice was served to PU last year, the university in December last year had submitted a representation to MC wherein they had stated that PU is not liable to pay property tax on various grounds.

PU registrar, Vikram Nayyar said, “This matter was also considered by the Board of Finance (BoF) in its last meeting and it was advised that university being a government institution should seek exemption from property tax from the UT administration. Accordingly, the university is taking the appropriate action.”

MC additional commissioner Rupesh Kumar said, “We have given them ample opportunities and correspondence has been going on for multiple years now. On their representation, we even conducted a fresh survey for property tax calculation. After no progress from their end, we had to follow the statutory rules and issue attachment notices as per law.”

On attachment notice, Kumar, said, “We issue attachment notices in all such cases; for PU this is the first time. MC has to collect the property tax due to it, which is a statutory tax. Notices were also issued to other government offices, including UT administration. Administration dues were more than that of PU, but they have started depositing these, and all dues will be deposited within a month.”

Dar Ovais is a Chandigarh-based Hindustan Times correspondent who covers higher education. ...view detail

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