Prodded by mayor Bikash Bhattacharya, the civic body is now preparing a list of major defaulters.

Under the glare are some nationalised banks, government departments and private commercial estates. According to KMC estimates, around 55 such defaulters owe the civic body Rs 110 crore as property tax, high enough to bore holes into its development plans.

The authorities have decided to issue a distress warrant to all major defaulters, failing which the properties would be attached. A KMC official said the properties of habitual offenders who have repeatedly ignored reminder notices to clear their dues would be attached.

That's not the case for government properties. The civic bosses have decided to go slow on that count after nationalised banks started paying up following an intervention by municipal commissioner Alapan Bandyopadhyay. Even Central Excise authorities have paid Rs 1 crore and promised to pay at regular intervals.

But a KMC list specified that Rs 22 crore is pending from 11 nationalised banks. Some of the defaulters are Punjab National Bank, Bank of India, State Bank of India, United Bank of India, Allahabad Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce and West Bengal Cooperative Bank. Bandyopadhyay conceded that the banks plan to clear their dues. "We have held meetings with the chairpersons, who have assured of all cooperation. Some banks have even started paying the dues," he added.