Inderjit joins chorus to make ‘lal dora’ tax free

Gurgaon: Union minister and Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh has said the state government should consider the demand of villages in Gurgaon to relieve their areas of house tax.
Speaking at a public gathering in Wazirabad in Gurgaon, Singh said he fully supports the demand of villagers that the state government shouldn’t charge house tax from them, as they don’t receive the facilities those living in residential sectors get. “If village land in Delhi and Faridabad can be free from house tax, why should Gurgaon villagers have to pay the same?” he asked.

“I’m offering my full support to your cause. I’m ready to join the the villagers in their protest, if their demand is not considered by the state government,” he said, adding the mayor and municipal councillors should prepare a case and make a representation before the state government on this.

Former Wazirabad sarpanch Sube Singh Bohra, who organised the public gathering, said land under ‘lal dora’ (village land not under the purview of the urban development authority) should be freed of any sort of taxation. “There is only one community centre for a huge population (approximately 50,000) in our village, and no other facility, like say a stadium for the youth. It could serve as employment opportunity for our unemployed youth,” he added.

‘Lal dora’ is a term introduced in 1908, during the British colonial rule. A red line was drawn on maps, delineating village population from nearby agricultural land, for revenue records. The practice has continued since then. Villagers can build houses on ‘lal dora’ land without adhering to building bylaws. Other than Wazirabad, ‘lal dora’ areas in Gurgaon include Chakkarpur, Nathupur, Ghata, Sikanderpur, Sukhrali and Islampur.