The Hindu : New Delhi News : Taxpayers brave rain and long queues to file returns

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New Delhi

Taxpayers brave rain and long queues to file returns

Staff Reporter

Thousands turn up on last day of exercise at Pragati Maidan and Vikas Bhawan

- Photo: S. Subramanium

Taxpayers wait in the rain to file returns at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi on Thursday.

NEW DELHI: Thousands of people braved heavy rain and long queues to file their Income Tax returns on the last day of the annual exercise at Pragati Maidan and Vikas Bhawan in the Capital where special camps had been organised for salaried individuals and non-corporate assessees respectively on Thursday.

On the other hand, there were also senior citizens and women who were able to file their returns quickly as separate entries and counters had been provided for them at the camps.

Though the four-day camp had begun on Monday, most of the taxpayers waited till the last day to file their returns. Of the over 7 lakh taxpayers in Delhi, about three lakhs filed their returns on the first three days; many more did so on Thursday when the counters functioned for extended hours till 8 p.m. to clear the last-minute rush. At Pragati Maidan, long meandering queues of taxpayers were seen from Gate No. 7 leading up to the hall. While there was a line for general applicants, for women and senior citizens separate entries had been provided and they were able to file their returns without any hassle. “As soon as we entered the place, we were directed to a separate entry that led into the hall and our returns was filed within five minutes,” said an elated private sector employee, Yojana, who had dreaded the long queues she had seen on entering Pragati Maidan.

For guiding the taxpayers, especially senior citizens, a large number of Tax Return Preparers (TRPs) were also present at the camp and they assisted people in filing returns at a nominal cost.

Inside Pragati Maidan, where a large number of counters had been set up, the turnaround time per assessee was short but still some taxpayers insisted that more counters should be set up to eliminate the queues altogether.

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