The Ayodhya Municipal Corporation has stepped up efforts to recover nearly ₹4 crore in outstanding water and house tax dues from 158 major defaulters across the city. So far, only 70 defaulters have made partial payments, collectively depositing around ₹50 lakh in installments, according to civic officials.
All pending cases have now reached the attachment (seizure) stage, and formal notices have already been issued. The corporation has warned that if dues are not cleared by February, a 12% annual interest will be imposed starting from the new financial year.
Family Disputes Hindering Tax Recovery
Municipal officials admit that recovery has become increasingly challenging due to family and inheritance disputes related to several properties. A recent sealing drive in the Fatehganj area highlighted these complications when a young woman reportedly locked herself inside a house during attachment proceedings.
In one such case, the property belongs to the late Bechan Ram, whose name still appears on the defaulters’ list. Similar complications exist in another case involving Rinku Gupta, where ownership disputes persist following the death of his father, Jamuna Prasad. Although multiple shops exist on the property, legal partition has not yet been completed, and municipal records still list the entire property under the deceased owner’s name.
The municipal corporation has granted one month’s time in such cases to resolve internal disputes before proceeding further with recovery actions.
Videography Made Mandatory During Attachment
To avoid legal disputes and ensure transparency, Additional Municipal Commissioner Sumit Kumar has directed that videography during attachment proceedings be made mandatory. Officials have also been instructed to inspect the entire building in the presence of police personnel and record detailed property information in official registers before initiating seizure.
Municipal authorities say these strict measures are necessary to safeguard officials and ensure smooth recovery of public dues while minimizing conflict during enforcement operations.
