Talking to media persons, Bhatia said he would launch a special drive to recover arrears of property tax amounting to over Rs 19 crore. For now, Bhatia has released a list of 163 individuals and establishments which have not paid property tax till the end of the last financial year. The list includes defaulters whose property tax cross Rs one lakh.

Bhatia made it clear that he would not hesitate to auction the property if the defaulters failed to pay the arrears within a stipulated period. Stating that 73 cases out of 163 were pending in the court for various reasons, Bhatia said he was contemplating setting up of a new panel of lawyers to expedite the cases.

He said the final decision would be taken with the consent of the standing committee. The list includes Government establishmentslike the Pune Housing Area Development Authority, Maharashtra State Electricity Board, National Seeds Corporation, Agriculture Produces Marketing Committee, Oriental Insurance Company, Central Excise, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation and Maharashtra State Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board.

It also includes builders like Sudhir Mandke, Ravi Promoters, Brahma Builders, Chetna Land and Developers, industrialists like Vyankatesh Properties Ltd, Kirloskar Leasing, Modern Bakery, Swastik Laboratories, Tarkar Products, Bijlee Products, Pramod Dugad, Mallayya Mithapelli, and the Poona Medical Foundation, Nisarga Mangal Karyalaya and Poona Blind Men's Association.

Also in the list is the Pune City Zilla Congress Committee that owes Rs 1,92,729 in taxes for its property in Sadashiv Peth. The Congress party's office was located at 1025 Sadashiv Peth, before it moved to Congress Bhavan in Shivajinagar.

Bhatia said that he had ordered a survey of buildings where parking space was being usedfor commercial purposes. Stating that the survey in the first stage would be restricted to major roads in the city, Bhatia said the builders would be given 24 hours notice to vacate the parking space. He said the corporation would take necessary action if the builders failed to do so.