Over 28,000 Property Owners Have Not Paid Tax Even Once

Nagpur: A shocking financial lapse has come to light in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), where 28,398 property owners across 10 zones have not paid property tax even once since construction or purchase. The cumulative dues from these long-term defaulters stand at a staggering Rs259.48 crore, exposing a glaring failure in tax assessment and recovery mechanisms.Data reveals that Ashi Nagar zone alone accounts for the biggest chunk, with 6,821 such properties and pending dues of over Rs59.81 crore. Mangalwari follows closely, where 4,410 properties owe Rs41.37 crore, while Laxmi Nagar (3,561 properties) has arrears exceeding Rs41 crore.In Hanuman Nagar, 2,881 properties have defaulted to the tune of Rs30.16 crore, while Dharampeth, one of the city's prime zones, has 1,429 properties that collectively owe Rs26.89 crore. Lakadganj, with 4,144 defaulters, has dues of Rs24.85 crore, further underlining the widespread nature of the problem.Other zones such as Nehru Nagar (Rs19.86 crore, 2,674 properties), Gandhibagh (Rs6.55 crore), Satranjipura (Rs5.31 crore), and Dhantoli (Rs3.64 crore) show that the issue cuts across both commercial hubs and residential pockets.What stands out is not just the amount, but the nature of the default. These are not sporadic defaulters — these are properties that have completely escaped the tax net for years, raising serious questions about how they were allowed to operate without assessment or enforcement.Civic experts say such a large number of ‘zero-payment' properties points to systemic loopholes, weak verification, and lack of ground-level accountability. "This is not about recovery failure alone. It shows that properties were either never assessed or deliberately ignored," said a former civic official. The fallout is visible across the city. NMC has repeatedly cited fund constraints for poor road conditions, delayed drainage works, and failing infrastructure. Yet, Rs259 crore remains locked in properties that have not contributed a single rupee, shifting the burden unfairly onto compliant taxpayers.