Mon Mar 31 05:30:00 UTC 2025: ## Hyderabad Property Tax Officials Dig Huge Hole Outside Shop with Unpaid Dues
**Hyderabad, March 30:** In a dramatic move to recover unpaid property tax, officials from the Chandanagar Circle of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) dug a large hole in front of a commercial establishment in Miyapur. The shop owner had reportedly ignored repeated notices demanding payment of lakhs of rupees in outstanding taxes.
On Saturday afternoon, GHMC officials, accompanied by a JCB excavator, arrived at the clothing store and removed a shed in front of the shop before digging a two-foot-deep hole, effectively blocking customer access. Despite the shop owner’s pleas, the officials proceeded with the action, reportedly citing the large number of customers expected due to the Ugadi festival as a strategic reason for their timing.
Following the incident, the shop owner reportedly paid the outstanding taxes, and subsequently filled the hole on Sunday. In a separate incident within the same circle, another commercial building with over ₹20 lakh in unpaid taxes was sealed by the authorities.
The unusual method of recovering taxes – digging a hole outside the defaulter’s shop – has sparked debate within GHMC circles.
First Piper 