Shri Nathji was constantly plagued by notices from the Municipal authorities at Dehra Dun for house tax and water tax, and conservancy tax. Shri Nathji had voluntarily left the house and allowed his brother and his family to live there. However they passed on all the bills to Shri Nathji for payment. Sometimes the bills would come with the urgency of notices threatening to foreclose on the house and to realise the taxes from a sale of the property.
Shri Nathji dutifully paid all the taxes, but there were instances when he did not have the money at hand. There was the time at 4/20, East Patel Nagar, when such a threatening notice arrived. Lala Hargopal, who was an advocate, advised Shri Nathji to not to accept the notice and to let them foreclose on the property. It would be a good lesson to the occupants who were enjoying the premesis while letting Shri Nathji foot the bills. However Shri Nathji ultimately paid all dues and did not allow a foreclosure on the property.
There was the unforgettably comical sight of Shri Nathji being hurriedly hustled into a back lane behind the house while Lala Hargopal dealt with the Notice.
Shri Nathji, however, was the bravest person upon earth and would not be deterred by notices of any kind. There was a time when a police officer had come to his house at Mussoorie suggesting that a warrant would be issued if the tax were not forthwith paid, and Shri Nathji had said with great anger and loudness:
“Jaa gaarad le aa!
Go and bring your brigade!”
The man had disappeared never to be seen again.
On many occasions it was discovered that Shri Nathji had already paid the taxes and the Municipality was charging him erroneously, and they would even admit their mistakes later, referring to them as “clerical errors”.
It had become universally known to the mischievous elements in Mussoorie that Shri Nathji seldom retained the receipts for the payments that he had made, and was therefore fair prey to blackmail, extortion and threats.
However, Shri Nathji never lost anything, and the misplaced receipts were invariably found after some time, but not before Shri Nathji had undergone considerable harassment for the oversight.
Since all the notices at Mussoorie came in the name of Mateshwari, she bore the brunt of the harassment herself, but with the deterioration of her health she was seen outside the house less and less often, and it was Shri Nathji who had to face the mischievous elements, just like he had braved the revolver attack of August 9, 1948.