Hyderabad: Telangana state government officials have turned “recovery agents” and are forcibly collecting tax from the people, after the government fixed 100 per cent targets for panchayats and urban local bodies.

Though no one is faulting the 100 per cent tax targets, the methods being adopted by the officials — creating panic and an “extortion-type atmosphere” — is drawing flak from all quarters. The officials have till Tuesday to collect the tax.

In villages, officials are taking away doors and windows of houses besides furniture, TVs, refrigerators and household items like gas cylinders and even utensils. All these are being kept in the local panchayat offices.

And this in Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s home district Medak.

In Hyderabad, the GHMC is resorting to closure of shops. City MLAs have lodged a strong protest with the Chief Minister about the “high-handedness” of officials.