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Section 287

Municipality in Default of Owner Or Occupier May Execute Work and Recover Expenses

(1) Whenever, under the provisions of this Act, any work is required to be executed by the owner or occupier of any building or land and default is made in the execution of such work, the Municipality, whether any penalty is or is not provided for such default, may cause such work to be executed; and the expenses thereby incurred, alongwith ten percent of the total expenses, subject to a minimum of one thousand rupees may be recovered from the person by whom such work ought to have been executed, and shall be recoverable in the same manner as an amount claimed on account of any tax recoverable under this Act either in lumpsum or by instalments, as the Municipality may deem fit: Provided that- (a) whenever any drainage scheme has been commenced by the Municipality it shall be lawful for the Municipality without prejudice to its powers under any provision of this Act to make a special agreement with the owner of any building or land as to the manner in which the drainage or water connection thereof shall be carried out and the pecuniary or other assistance, if any, which the Municipality shall render, and any payment agreed upon by the owner shall be recovered, in accordance with the terms of such agreement or in default, in the manner described in sub-sections (2) and (3) ; and (b) when an order has been passed under section 194 or section 200 or section 202 or section 207 or section 210 or when permission has been given under section 203 or when any agreement has been made under proviso (a) of this sub-section, the Municipality may, without prejudice to any other power under this Act, if it thinks fit, declare any expenses incurred as aforesaid by the Municipality alongwith ten percent of the total expenses as administrative charges subject to a minimum of one thousand rupees, to be improvement expenses, which shall be a charge upon the building or land, and shall be levied alongwith interest at the rate of fifteen percent per annum and shall be recoverable in the manner described in sub-sections (2) and (3). (2) If the defaulter be the owner of the building or land, the Municipality may, by way of additional remedy, whether a suit or proceeding has been brought or taken against such owner or not, require, subject to the provisions of sub-section (3), the payment of all or any part of the expenses payable by the owner for the time being from the person who, then or at any time thereafter, occupies the building or land under such owner, and in default of payment thereof by such occupier on demand the same may be levied from such occupier and every amount so levied shall be recoverable in the same manner as an amount claimed on account of any tax recoverable under this Act; and every such occupier shall be entitled to deduct from the rent payable by him to his landlord so much as has been so paid by or recovered from such occupier in respect of such expenses. (3) No occupier of any building or land shall be liable to pay more money in respect of any expenses, charged by this Act on the owner thereof than the amount of rent which is due from such occupier for the building or land in respect of which such expenses are payable at the time of the demand made upon him or which, at any time after such demand and notice not to pay the same to his landlord, has accrued and become payable by such occupier, unless he neglects or refuses, upon application made to him for that purpose by the Municipality, truly to disclose the amount of his rent and the name and address of the person to whom such rent is payable but the burden of proof that the sum demanded of any such occupier is greater than the rent which was due by him at the time of such demand or which has since accrued shall be upon such occupier: Provided that nothing herein contained shall be taken to affect any special contract made between any such occupier and the owner respecting the payment of the expense of any such works as aforesaid.