The Bhilai Municipal Corporation has issued a notice to the Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) demanding payment of ₹228 crore in property tax. The notice mandates that the BSP remit the specified amount within a 30-day timeframe. Furthermore, the corporation has initiated preparations for a drone survey of the township and plant premises to assess the properties.
The Bhilai Municipal Corporation has formally notified the Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) to pay ₹228 crore in property tax for the fiscal year 2024-25. The corporation has granted a 30-day period for compliance. However, the tax has not yet been remitted by the BSP. Municipal Commissioner Rajiv Kumar Pandey stated that a detailed survey of BSP’s properties will be conducted, with a proposal for a drone survey by IIT Bhilai. While other agencies were considered, discussions with IIT are in their final stages.
In this property tax dispute, the BSP management has gathered a 6000-page document under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Both parties are making every effort to support their respective positions, with each side trading accusations.
The corporation alleges that the BSP concealed commercial properties such as hospitals, schools, and parks. According to the corporation, the BSP did not mention hospitals, schools, parks, CISF, BSF, ITBP, SSB quarters, and religious and social buildings in its affidavit. The corporation claims that the BSP generates income by charging fees from private patients at these hospitals and renting out school buildings. The corporation contends that taxes are due on such properties, which the BSP has not yet paid.
Several rounds of meetings between the corporation administration and the BSP management have been held regarding the property tax, but no resolution has been reached. The matter of the old tax dispute is currently pending in the High Court, and now a new notice has been issued.
