The Punjab government has started auctioning properties of VAT and GST defaulters to recover pending dues, running in to crores.Finance, Excise and Taxation & Planning Minister of Punjab, Harpal Singh Cheema on Friday said, the state government had intensified its recovery drive against tax defaulters by officially commencing the public auction of properties belonging to chronic VAT and GST evaders.The first major property auction was successfully conducted in Mohali against the defaulter firm M/s Sumit Engineering, where the property was sold for Rs 13.22 crore on June 19. He further added that another successful auction was carried out in Shahkot, Jalandhar, involving the property of M/s MR Rice Mills, which fetched a total of Rs 1.11 crore.Cheema said that nearly 20 additional property auctions have already been scheduled across various districts in the coming weeks and months.Cheema further mentioned, “A sum of Rs 3.58 crore has already been deposited by the successful bidders directly into the government treasury on Friday, while the remaining balance will be legally recovered and deposited within the coming week as per established rules.”The recovery drive includes strict measures such as the attachment and auction of properties. These actions are aimed at habitual tax defaulters who failed to take advantage of the substantial relief offered under the state’s One Time Settlement (OTS) Scheme.Cheema added that the government has extended the OTS Scheme up to July 31. He said that this scheme provides a transparent and highly favourable mechanism for taxpayers with pending VAT liabilities to settle their outstanding dues quickly, thereby completely avoiding litigation, ongoing disputes, and coercive state action.