The Abhay Scheme for house tax arrears, implemented by the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) over the past four months, ended on January 31. However, despite the initiative, a large amount of arrears remains unpaid. As a result, the municipal administration has decided to launch a strict recovery campaign before the end of March, including the issuance of direct notices and seizure actions against defaulters.

The property tax arrears of NMC have continued to rise sharply, now reaching approximately Rs 600 crore. The Rs 600 crore in arrears includes penalties, and while the property tax recovery target for the current financial year was set at Rs 255 crore, only Rs 210 crore has been collected so far. The Abhay Scheme helped push collections past Rs 200 crore, but the department now faces the challenge of recovering the remaining Rs 45 crore by the end of March. Consequently, warrants are being issued and delivered to defaulters' residences.

As per official sources, if defaulters fail to make payments even after receiving a 12-day notice, the municipal corporation will proceed with property auctions, seizing houses and other assets directly.