Residents living in apartment complexes in Belagavi City are still unable to pay their property taxes as the Belagavi City Corporation has not yet made the option available. With April already 21 days in, there are just 10 days left to avail of the 5% rebate, but apartment owners are left waiting.
The delay, as cited by the City Corporation, is because they are still determining the land plot value for each of the 58 wards according to the ready reckoner rate.
According to the Corporation, starting from Sunday, property tax challans will be made available to apartment holders. However, the online system is not functioning properly for some users, with some receiving blank challans, causing hindrances in the payment process.
Challan generation at Belagavi One centers has been halted due to discrepancies in the values generated by the One office and the City Corporation revenue office. This has led to long queues at revenue offices, with many spending 3-4 hours just to obtain their challans.
Despite the City Corporation claiming that online services are operational, users have reported issues with challan generation. Unfortunately, there is no helpline available to address these concerns or communicate them to the Corporation.
Another issue arises for those who have already paid online but have encountered errors in tax calculation. The system lacks fields to automatically generate arrears, leaving the future of such payees uncertain. Despite being aware of these issues, the City Corporation has not provided any announcements on its website regarding solutions or assistance.
More outrageous is the silence of the authorities who leave taxpayers to depend on rumours and fruitlessly run from pillar to post…. Smart City, indeed!