Taj Mahal Served With Property Tax Notice, Water Bill Worth Over Rs 1 Cr; ASI Officials Say 'By Mistake'

THE Taj Mahal and Agra Fort have been served notices for water and electricity dues by the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government. The historic sites are popular monuments which attract millions of tourists to India each year. In the 370-year history of these monuments, they have never been served such notices.

The ASI, which is the government body that maintains historical monuments, has been asked to pay over Rs 1 crore in "dues" for the Taj Mahal and Rs. 5 Crore in tax demands for the Agra Fort. "A notice for water tax and one for property tax has been issued. The property tax is around Rs 1.40 lakh and the water tax is around Rs 1 crore, ASI's Superintending Archaeologist (Agra circle) Raj Patel, as quoted by ANI, said.

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Meanwhile, according to a report by NDTV, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officials have called it a mistake that they hope will be corrected soon. These notices must be an error as such taxes don't apply for monuments, the report quoted the ASI official as saying.

"First of all, property tax or house tax is not applicable to monument premises. Uttar Pradesh laws have this provision too and so do other states. As for the water notice, in the past no such demand has been made and we do not have any water connection that we use for any commercial purposes. The lawns that we maintain inside the Taj complex are for public service and there is no question of dues," Patel said, as quoted by NDTV.

"The cantonment board had served us notice for the Agra fort, a world heritage monument - a total of over Rs 5 crore. We have replied to them that the concerned government Act exempts monuments," Patel further stated.

Mughal emperor Akbar had built the Agra fort and it served as the main residence of the dynasty until 1638 when the capital was shifted to Delhi. A portion of this UNESCO world heritage site is used by the Indian Army also, according to the official website of the Taj Mahal.

A report by the Times of India stated that an investigation had been ordered into how the notices were issued. Quoting an official, the TOI report stated that a private company was processing the notices on contract with the government.

(With agency inputs)