Lack of coordination between the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and the Registration & Stamps Department is resulting in a plethora of duplicate properties in the city, over which tax demand is generated every year, but not paid.

A large number of property owners are running from pillar to post, with GHMC acting non-committal on the issue despite it being in complete authority of collection of property tax within the city.

The property tax system was modified around 2021-22, when the then BRS government had endowed the Registration Department with the responsibility of generating the Property Tax Identification Number (PTIN), at the time of registration and mutation of property. PTIN is the unique ID of the property on which tax demand is generated every year by the GHMC.

The shift was intended to reduce manual intervention in assessment of properties, which had been giving scope for corruption. Self assessment was brought into force in case of properties where there is no involvement of Registration Department.

The move gave rise to a whole lot of other issues, including absence of self assessment for a large number of properties, and double assessments done by property owners due to lack of knowledge about the original PTIN.

One more issue often encountered by this shift is generation of several PTINs on the same property, especially in cases where the property is transferred from one person to another.

“I recently registered a transfer deed, after our parental home in Jubilee Hills was divided among us four children. After that, I started getting messages for property tax payment on a whole new PTIN, along with the original PTIN,” said Madhuri (name changed to protect identity), a resident of Manikonda.

She tried to approach the GHMC authorities, but they brushed it aside and asked her to get it resolved with the Registrations Department.

Seven PTINs

In another case, a total of seven PTINs were generated on a single property in Kapra circle, all with the same plinth area. It was however, resolved eventually with intervention from GHMC headquarters.

Sources from GHMC informed that the Revenue wing of the corporation has more than 800 such complaints, many of which are unresolved as yet. There might be many others who have not been aware of the mix up.

Software glitch

“There is some software glitch due to which fresh PTINs are generated on existing properties. When a property is divided among the off-springs, we usually allot the existing PTIN to the eldest child, and generate new PTINs for the remaining with corresponding built up space. This is not happening at the Registrations Department,” said an official on condition of anonymity, admitting that there is a need for complete overhaul of the GHMC’s property records.