THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With post-GST revenue collection not promising enough, directions have been sent out to government departments to expedite the collection of arrears. The arrears of revenue on some principal heads of revenue has accumulated to nearly Rs 2500 crore, of which Rs 750 crore has been outstanding for more than five years. Motor Vehicles, Forest, Excise, and Police departments have been found to be the most lax in collecting arrears. Motor Vehicles Department, which finance minister Thomas Isaac depends on to nourish KIIFB, is responsible for the largest arrears, over Rs 1540 crore. The biggest defaulter is KSRTC, Rs 1,264 crore. The remaining money has to come from individuals, private firms and private companies. A small amount, less than Rs 10 lakh, is caught up in legal tangles.
The nature of demand in the Forest Department, which has failed to collect arrears totalling nearly Rs 320 crore, includes value of timber, teak stumps, lease rent, penal interest, re-auction loss, and centage charges. The Department is yet to receive Rs 57.35 crore from Central PSUs, Rs 243.60 crore from State PSUs, and Rs 13.87 crore from individuals, and private companies. More than Rs 170 crore has been pending for the last five years. A Forest Department source attributed the reason for delay in collecting the revenue to pending revenue recovery steps against the defaulters, court cases, and stay orders.
The ‘abkari’ arrears in the Excise Department of Rs 199 crore have been pending from 1952 onwards. The money is due from individuals, private firms, and private companies. Nearly Rs 180 crore has to be realised from 307 persons who have defaulted an amount of Rs one lakh or more. Like in the case of the Forest Department, Excise officials too attribute the delay in collection to failure in initiating revenue recovery action, and court stays. As for the Police Department, the default is mostly on account of police guard. The Department has told the state government that Rs 122.06 crore is pending from the Centre, Rs 12.96 crore from Central PSUs, Rs 41.98 crore from State PSUs, and Rs 1.09 crore from individuals, private firms and private companies. The major defaulters were Southern Railway, KSEB and Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
