Bengaluru’s Mantri Mall shut again over unpaid property tax dues, reopens after court’s intervention

A court allowed Mantri Mall to open after the mall authorities approached it soon after the closure. It also directed the mall authorities to pay Rs 13 crore in three weeks and clear a part of the property tax arrears.

Over the years, the mall has been closed more than half a dozen times, with the previous closure taking place in May 2024, for failing to clear property tax dues of around Rs 50 crore.

Apart from Mantri Mall, the corporation is also looking at other properties that have kept property tax pending. “We have identified defaulters who owe more than Rs 5 lakh or Rs 10 lakh. We are taking steps to close them too,” he said.

The Bengaluru Central Corporation has a large number of commercial areas where owners have self-declared property tax assessment. At Indiranagar, corporation officials have identified 182 commercial buildings that have a tax deviation of around Rs 9 crore. “A 20-member team of revenue officials checked the 182 buildings,” Cholan said.

In the coming days, verification of self-assessment will be carried out at other areas, such as Chickpet and Commercial Street, to check and revalidate the property tax for various buildings, he added.