Lucknow: The Agra Municipal Corporation has issued a notice to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to pay property tax for the iconic Taj Mahal worth Rs 1.47 lakh and a water bill worth Rs 1.9 crore.

Agra Municipal Corporation in its notice said that if the ASI failed to pay the property taxes within the period of 15 days the property Taj Mahal would be attached. ASI claimed that the notice issued by the Agra Municipal Corporation seemed to be a mistake.

The Agra circle, ASI superintending archaeologist Dr Raj Kumar Patel confirmed the notices saying that three notices were received by ASI. So far two for the Taj Mahal and one for the Agra Fort, for the Taj Mahal, the notice for water tax worth Rs 1 crore and one for property tax worth Rs 1.47 lakh has been received by the ASI.

Asserting that monuments were not liable for municipal taxes, Patel said that the notices seemed to have been sent by mistake and the ASI had reverted to Nagar Nigam Agra on the same. Property tax is not applicable on monuments. We are also not liable to pay taxes for water as there is no commercial use of it.

Water is used to maintain greenery within the premises. Notices related to water and property tax for the Taj Mahal have been received for the first time. It could have been sent by mistake, he said.

Significantly, over a century ago, the Taj Mahal was declared a protected monument of national importance in 1920. Since then, this is the first time that such notices pertaining to water tax and property tax have been issued against it.

The notice for the financial year 2021-22 and 2022-23 of Municipal Corporation reportedly has the mention of interest of Rs 47943 incurred over the property tax of Rs 88784 against the Taj Mahal till March 31, 2022. The property tax of 2022-23 to the tune of Rs 11098 has also been mentioned in the notice. It has the breakup of total property tax of Rs 147826 pending against the Taj Mahal.

Nikhil T Funde, Municipal Commissioner of Agra said that the notice was served for property and water tax pending against the ticket window and residential wing at the eastern gate of the Taj Mahal and not the monument itself.