Mohali, March 2026 – Mohali Mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu has announced the rollback of a controversial requirement that property owners submit photographs of their properties as part of the property tax assessment process for FY 2025–26, a mandate that drew widespread resident opposition and was seen as an unnecessary compliance burden without clear procedural justification. The reversal follows public pushback from property owners across the city’s sectors, who objected to the photo requirement as an additional administrative hurdle imposed without adequate notice, particularly for elderly and non-tech-savvy residents unfamiliar with digital submission processes.
The rollback comes in the same week that the Mohali Municipal Corporation passed its FY 2026–27 budget of ₹226.98 crore at a special MC House meeting. A revenue of ₹70 crore is expected from property tax for FY 2026–27, the corporation’s single largest own-revenue source. The MC has set a target of ₹29.5 crore from advertisement revenue and expects to collect ₹25.19 crore by March 2026. The MC proposes to spend roughly ₹147 crore on development works in 2026–27.
The Property Tax Compliance Context
The Municipal Corporation has fixed March 31 as the last date for depositing property tax for the year 2025–26, along with 10% penalty. A penalty of 20%, along with 18% interest, will be imposed on payments made after March 31. Citizens who have not yet created their property ID should get it immediately by submitting relevant documents to the property tax branch of the Municipal Corporation. The MC has appealed to all citizens to contribute to the development of the city by depositing the property tax before the due date.
The photo requirement now rescinded – was reportedly introduced as part of a property verification initiative to cross-check self-declared assessments against physical building characteristics. While the intent may have been to reduce under-declaration, the practical implementation lacked adequate resident communication and technical support infrastructure.
Location Context: Mohali’s Growing Property Tax Base
Mohali has expanded significantly as a real estate market over the past decade, with premium residential and commercial development in sectors adjacent to Chandigarh and along the IT corridor including Phase 8 and the Aerocity belt. The house resolved to increase the number of wards from 50 to 80, in view of the expansion of the city’s boundary, a decision that reflects both Mohali’s geographic growth and the MC’s intent to bring newly developed areas within formal property tax coverage.
