Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday, 26 July called on Income Tax Department officials in Mumbai to stop making citizens run from pillar to post for services, demanding greater efficiency, integrity, and citizen-centric governance. Her remarks came sharply directed at what she described as a 'laidback' culture within government departments.

The Inauguration That Sparked a Lesson

Sitharaman was speaking after inaugurating the newly constructed 13-storey Aaykar Sindhu building in Mumbai, a 1.13 lakh sq ft facility built on land allotted to the Income Tax Department as far back as 1973. The building's long and difficult journey to completion, she said, should itself be a mirror for officials to understand what ordinary citizens go through when dealing with government offices.

'Can this incentivise you to understand the position of a common citizen when he approaches you? Don't make them run from pillar to post where your authority is required; do the work for them,' Sitharaman said, while clarifying that officials must facilitate legitimate requests efficiently — without bypassing rules.

Illegal Encroachments and Asset Mismanagement

The Finance Minister expressed pointed disappointment over the management of government assets, highlighting that the very land on which the Aaykar Sindhu building now stands had been held back for decades due to illegal encroachments that accumulated gradually over the years.

'The fact that you led it to have occupations, illegal occupation, shows somewhere in our governance, we are too laid back. It is somebody's job to take care of our assets, and when it is encroached, we say, 'We have the land, but we can't build it',' she said. The remarks underline a broader concern about institutional accountability in protecting public property.

Housing Shortage for IT Officers

Sitharaman also acknowledged a longstanding grievance raised by Income Tax officials — the acute shortage of official residential accommodation in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. Many officers, she noted, are currently compelled to undertake long daily commutes, affecting both their wellbeing and their operational efficiency.

The Larger Governance Message

Notably, Sitharaman's address was not merely ceremonial. By using the construction ordeal of a government building as a case study in bureaucratic friction, she drew a direct line between internal departmental inefficiency and the everyday hardships faced by taxpayers. This comes amid the government's broader push to digitise and streamline tax administration, including through the revamped income tax portal and the new Income Tax Bill framework. The Finance Minister's message was unambiguous: the state must serve citizens, not the other way around. How the department responds to this public rebuke — particularly on encroachment clearances and service delivery timelines — will be closely watched.