Bathinda, August 14
The court of the Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner-cum Joint Director Investigation, Faridkot and Ferozepur Divisions, today ordered to attach a portion of salary of three senior railway officials for their failure to provide data pertaining to the transportation of goods in trains for the past 10 years.
Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner-cum-Joint Director YS Matta ordered that Rs 500 each be attached from the salary of the Chief Commercial Manager, Northern Railway, Delhi, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Ferozepur Division and DRM of the Ambala Division.
The court has sent a letter for attaching the salary to the Railway Revenue Officer and Drawing and Disbursing Officer.
Excise officials, suspecting tax evasion to the tune of crores every year, had sought records in this regard from the railways during the last 10 years.
Speaking to TNS, Matta said the railway officers were told to personally appear before the court to clear the matter over tax evasion and other issues but despite sending notices, no official appeared.
Matta said the goods brought in big or small parcels in trains are usually without the bills, log book, receipts, forwarding note or other documents.
“Despite repeated reminders to the railway authorities to cooperate with the excise officials to ascertain the quantity of taxable goods, such goods are continuously being brought by their owners to evade tax duty which leads to a loss in crores to the state exchequer," Matta claimed.
“I have issued a final notice on August 9 under section 32 of the CPC (Civil Procedure Court), 1908, to these officials for personal appearance to ascertain their stand over the issue,” Matta added.
He pointed out that instead of personal appearance, the senior railway functionaries send junior officials who fail to answer the queries satisfactorily. Now, the next date for the final notice has been served to these officials for August 21.
The Ferozepur DRM, Naresh Goyal, said he is not aware of the notice or the salary attachment order. He, however, admitted receiving notices for personal appearance. “The railway officials, including me and the DRM Ambala, expressed our helplessness in personally appearing before the court in view of the hectic security and other measures taken by railways in view of the Independence Day,” Goyal said. He said there are security threats, meetings and other routine work, which get affected, and the Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner had been urged to postpone the date but he declined.
He said over 9 lakh bookings were made in the past 10 years and its owners must be over 90 lakh people. "It is not possible to get into the details of so many years," he added.
He said the railway officials have pleaded the matter before the Chief Secretary, Punjab and a meeting has been called by him on August 17 wherein the Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner-cum-Joint Director, Investigation too may appear to resolve the issue, he said.
