The great tax rush at Pragati Maidan

On the penultimate day of filing income tax returns, people turned out in droves to submit their forms and at the end of the day, Income Tax (I-T) officials estimated about 1 lakh people filed their returns on Wednesday.

It was a rush hour of another kind at hall number 12 at Pragati Maidan. On the penultimate day of filing income tax returns, people turned out in droves to submit their forms and at the end of the day, Income Tax (I-T) officials estimated about 1 lakh people filed their returns on Wednesday.

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Despite several boards — right from the one at the entrance to several inside the main hall — put up by the department and various announcements from time to time, people were seen going here and there with a hassled look.

Renu Gupta, who had come with her daughter, said, “There are boards everywhere and people are helpful too. But it seems they have made some changes in the wards. I first went to counter for ward 45(3), from there they sent me to 45(4), then to 41 and finally accepted my form at 41(2).”

With no separate queues for women, didn’t they face any problem?
“Not at all. There are so few women, so we need not form a queue,” said Ritu, who had come to file her brother’s tax returns.
Chandan Lal Arya, who works for a Chartered Accountant at Inderpuri, said he has been bringing 7-8 forms daily. “I am tired of standing in different lines as forms are from different wards,” he said. He was not alone. Pointed out an I-T official, “It’s men like him (those from various CA firms), who form almost 70 per cent of the crowd.”