Aligarh Municipal Corporation seized the bank account of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) after the varsity flunked to compensate the property tax dues of over Rs 14 crores, an official asserted on Monday.
Vinay Kumar, Chief Taxation Officer, Aligarh, said that the administration has given enough relief to AMU to compensate the dues.
“There was property tax due of around Rs 14.83 lakh crore of Aligarh Municipal Corporation on AMU. The dues were pending for the last 8 to 10 years. In 2019 we have seized the accounts. We have given them enough chances and asked them to pay the dues but they did not do so. Hence we were forced to take the decision of seizing the bank account of Aligarh Muslim University,” Rai reported to ANI.
The administrators announced that if within a week dues are not compensated then “money from AMU’s account will be transferred to Municipal Corporation”.
And further added,” We will also think of confiscating the properties if dues are not clear within a week”.
The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Public Relation office, has released an open letter today, on the matter, clarifying that it has jotted down letters to the Minister of Education and the University Grants Commission to resolve the issue of payment of property tax dues of the Aligarh Nagar Nigam.
AMU further brought up that the matter is Sub judice and the case is pending in the Allahabad High Court.
The University has been paying house tax for residential areas, and it got an exemption for the classrooms, laboratories, and libraries from the Aligarh Nagar Palika.
The University has a considerable amount of over Rs nine crores against Aligarh Nagar Nigam that it has not paid electric consumption taxes for its tube wells for water supply.
In 2006, when Aligarh Nagar Nigam was accomplished, it invalidated the decision and University reached the High Court and the case is still on hold.
The Banaras Hindu University and some other central establishments also got house tax exemption from the High Court and no tax is imposed on classrooms, laboratories, and libraries.
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