Bhubaneswar: The municipal corporation has issued a public notice stating that several government establishments were among major holding tax defaulters in the city and their dues ran into several crores.

Among the prominent defaulters are Central Electricity Supply Utility (Cesu) of Odisha, three divisions of the public works department and the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA). A few others, including the Reserve Bank of India, have cleared their dues.

The Cesu tops the defaulters' list with Rs 4.38 crore, while the road and building division No. III of the works department owes Rs 2.97 crore to the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The fourth division of the works department has run up a due of Rs 2.76 crore, while division one need to pay the BMC Rs 1.53 crore. The outstanding of the BDA is Rs 14.85 lakh.

Sources said the arrears piled up because government establishments had stopped making payment for the past few years. "We have issued public notices and also informed the agencies concerned to make the payments. They have been given a month's time," a senior official said.

The revelation of the civic body about such huge pending amounts of the government establishments has enraged ordinary citizens who are often pestered to clear their dues.

"They issue red notices and put up hoardings with our names to humiliate us just because we owe a few thousands towards tax. However, when it comes to government agencies, who owes crores of rupees, such actions are missing," said Baramunda resident Dibakar Moharana.

Cesu, which tops the list of major defaulters, has turned the charges on its head and accused the civic body of defaulting in paying electricity bills worth crores of rupees.

"Whenever we approach them for payment, they refuse to pay," said a Cesu official.

Though he refused to reveal the exact amount that the civic body owes to Cesu, the power facility official said that there had been occasions when they power supply had been stopped to street lights installed by the civic body.

"But they remain adamant on not making payment," said the Cesu official.

Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said they had issued the notice just because they want to the people to know that they were sparing none when it came to collecting tax.

"We are making all round efforts to increase our revenue collection. The government agencies will also have to pay their dues," said Jena.