Malavalli municipal staff stage protest demanding ₹55 lakh tax dues from Rotary institution

Malavalli (Mandya): Officials and staff of the Malavalli Town Municipal Council staged a sit-in protest on Saturday in front of a Rotary-run educational institution, demanding payment of long-pending property tax arrears amounting to ₹55 lakh.

According to municipal officials, the institution has allegedly failed to pay building and property tax regularly for the last 12 years. While the total tax liability has crossed ₹63 lakh, only about ₹8 lakh has been paid so far, leaving arrears of nearly ₹55 lakh. The municipality claimed that repeated notices were issued to the institution over the years, but there was no serious response from the management.

Town Municipal Council Chief Officer M.C. Nagarathna said that the protest was staged after officials received no satisfactory reply when staff visited the institution to seek payment. “Our staff went to remind the institution to clear the dues, but they did not receive a proper response. Due to non-payment of taxes by major defaulters, the municipality is facing financial strain. We have not been able to disburse salaries to our staff even during the Sankranti festival,” she said.

She added that despite having the authority to seal the premises, the municipality had refrained from doing so considering the future of students. “Since this is an educational institution, we are not taking coercive action like locking the building. However, we are firmly demanding that the pending tax be cleared at the earliest,” Nagarathna said.

Responding to the allegations, Rotary institution president Habib Ulla Khan denied receiving any official notice from the municipality. “We have not received any notice regarding pending tax payments. If such a notice is served, we will place the matter before the management committee and take an appropriate decision,” he said.

The protest by municipal staff highlights the growing financial challenges faced by local bodies due to tax arrears from large institutions. Municipal officials indicated that similar action may be initiated against other major defaulters in the town if dues are not cleared promptly.