Sirsa electrician in shock after Rs 4.18-cr property tax notice

A bizarre case has surfaced in Sirsa, where a poor electrician living in a two-room government flat was slapped with a property tax demand of Rs 4.18 crore. The notice, sent via text message, left the man shocked and the issue has since become a topic of discussion in the city.

The man, Jamna Prasad, resides in a 60-gaj Housing Board flat in HUDA Sector 19, allotted to him in 2018 after he was relocated from a slum area (thed). “The government had promised me a 100-gaj plot, but I only received this flat on the third floor. The land belongs to the Housing Board, not to me. I don’t even own a motorcycle — just a bicycle,” he said.

Jamna, who makes only Rs 300-400 a day repairing electrical items at a shop in Ward 19’s Masjid Gali, said the staggering notice had left him numb.

“I have never even seen one crore in my life, so how can I pay over four crores?” he asked in disbelief.

He added that this was the first-ever tax notice he had received. “I didn’t understand the message at first. Later, someone told me it was a huge tax demand. Since then, I have been in shock,” he said.

Former ward councillor representative Amit Soni blamed the Municipal Council’s negligence.

“Such mistakes have happened before too — like when cars were wrongly added to people’s family IDs, leading to cancellation of ration cards. If this error is not corrected, we will take the matter to Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini,” he warned.

Municipal Council Executive Officer Sunil Kumar termed it a possible clerical mistake.

“The person concerned can come to the office on Monday to get it corrected. Complaints about wrong bills are being addressed. If anyone feels their property tax bill is incorrect, they should visit the municipal council office and get it rectified,” he said.

Haryana Tribune