Anand Bhawan gets house tax notice worth Rs 4.35 crore

Prayagraj : Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was born at the Anand Bhawan in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj; the house tax department has sent notice worth Rs 4.35 crore to it.

The tax on the house has been imposed under the non-residential category and says it is due since 2013.

Anand Bhawan has remained a home to the Gandhi family and it is run by Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Trust headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

PK Mishra, chief tax assessment officer, Prayagraj Municipal Corporation, told news agency ANI that the notice has been served under provisions of the Municipal Corporation Act and Property Tax rules.

"We conducted a survey to decide the amount of tax. We also invited objection on the assessment but received none. Then, we finalised our assessment and sent the notice," Mr Mishra said.

While former PMC mayor Chaudhary Jitendra Nath Singh told the news agency that the tax cannot be imposed on Anand Bhawan as it is exempted from all kind of taxes.

"The imposition of tax on Anand Bhawan is wrong. The building comes under Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Trust which is exempted from taxes. This is a monument of Independence struggle and a museum of memorabilia. This is a centre of education," he said.