Mobile firms in Pune have PMC on hold with 1,657 illegal towers, dues

Despite repeated warnings from Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) illegal mobile towers have been mushrooming in areas under PMC’s jurisdiction. In a written reply to the questions raised by Shiv Sena corporator Nana Bhangire, who had written to the PMC regarding the construction of these illegal mobile towers, the PMC accepted that a total of 1,657 mobile towers are unauthorised in the city.

The PMC said that 238 towers have the necessary permissions.

Vilas Kanade head of PMC property tax department said, “Maximum mobile towers in the city are illegal, having dues worth ₹ 650 crore in the form of property tax to be payable to the civic body.

The PMC is not able to take any action against these mobile towers as these companies went to the High Court and the court has asked to keep status quo till the hearing is going on.”

Kanade further added, “Municipal Commissioner Saurabh Rao had in fact called a meeting with twenty mobile companies on Wednesday and had appealed to them to repay their due tax to the civic body. The commissioner asked them carry out regularisation of mobile towers by completing necessary procedures. Besides the mobile tower company representatives, Rao had also called department heads of property tax, building permission and road department for this meeting”.

Municipal officers have confirmed that the mobile companies are not ready to accept their dues worth ₹650 crore and have claimed that the civic body is charging exorbitant fees and tax to them.

As mobile companies are not ready to repay the dues, Municipal Commissioner took a strict stand in the meeting and has instructed the road department officers to not give digging permission for the of laying cables to these companies in the city.

Kanade said, “As per Municipal Commissioner’s instructions, I have issued the letter to the building permission and road department and have asked them to not to give road digging permission to these companies without getting a no objection certificate from the property tax department.”

Though the issue got discussed many times, the PMC is unable to take action due to the ongoing court case. Not just that the PMC had earlier decided to not give permissions for digging the roads in order to lay cables, but considering that internet and communication is an essential service for city’s development , PMC needs to give them the necessary permissions to lay new cables for bringing new technology in the city.

PMC administration said that Pune is the IT hub of the country and by creating hurdles to mobile companies they can not stop city’s development. By considering this mobile companies need to cooperate with the municipal corporation and pay the tax to the civic body.

In the written reply to Shiv Sena corporator Nana Bhangire the PMC finally disclosed the numbers of the illegal mobile towers, the PMC also said that thet have received only ₹ 31.36 crore tax from these mobile towers.

However the property tax department claimed that though the case is going on, the High Court did not ask the companies to not pay their dues, but the despite this the companies refuse to pay their dues.