Sardulgarh, a small nagar panchayat in Punjab's Mansa district has become the talk of the town. As per a report published in The Indian Express, the panchayat collected a whopping Rs 92 lakh as property tax and rent of panchayat properties so far in the current financial year, a six-time jump over taxes collected during the same period last year.
In the first three quarters of 2021-22 (April 1 - December 15), the tax collection was Rs 15 lakh. In the entire financial year of 2021-22, the tax collection stood at Rs 22.94 lakh. With Rs 92 lakh already in the bag, authorities expect this figure to increase by the end of the fiscal.
The panchayat has 70 villages. With the nagar panchayat included, the total population of the entire area is more than 95,000.
“We regularly followed up with people in residential and commercial areas and reminded them to pay property tax on a regular basis, and the response was tremendous. This is the highest tax collection so far. This nagar panchayat was formed in 1996. The highest tax collection in the past was Rs 57 lakh in 2016-17. In 2020-21 the tax collection was Rs 32.84 lakh. I appreciate the attitude of the people. They are voluntarily paying taxes and this amount is going to be used for their town’s development works,” Poonam Singh, Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) Sardulgarh-cum-administrator of the nagar panchayat, was quoted by the publication.
The money collected as taxes will be used for civic amenities.
“If tax collection is satisfactory, we can spend it on development works. At present, we are using the money on two open gyms, the beautification of a public park and to improve water supply services, among others. We intend to clear legacy waste by 100 per cent in the coming months. The works are in progress,” Poonam Singh was quoted further.