Bhartesh Singh Thakur
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 21
After a string of complaints against the functioning of the Panchkula Municipal Corporation (MC), the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Haryana Legislative Assembly has requested the Principal Accountant General to conduct a special audit of the civic body.
The PAC had received a complaint from BJP councillor of Ward No. 2 in Panchkula, Suresh Kumar Verma, against alleged corruption in the MC.
On April 13, the PAC, under the chairmanship of MLA Harvinder Kalyan, decided to forward Verma's complaint to the Principal Accountant General (Audit), Haryana. It requested that "a special audit" be got conducted thoroughly in six matters of "alleged embezzlement", as enumerated in Verma's complaint, "by constituting a team in a time-bound manner, preferably within a fortnight, and also submit a report to the committee at the earliest".
Verma, in his complaint, dated April 12, alleged corruption in the treatment of legacy waste at the dumping ground in Sector 23, Panchkula, purchase and the functioning of e-cart rickshaws, purchase and functioning of night sweeping machines, bio-methanation gas plant at Jatwar (Panchkula), allotment of temporary night shelters during the winter season and property tax and fire tax in the matter of Shalimar Mall, Sector 5, Panchkula.
Talking to The Tribune, Verma said, "There is corruption in the treatment of legacy waste at the dumping ground in Sector 23. Close to Rs5 crore has been paid to the private agency. More waste has been shown as lifted from the dumping ground than the actual."
There is another complaint by a Panchkula resident regarding the quashing of a property and fire tax notice against Shalimar Mall, which was also forwarded to the PAC.
A notice was issued to Shalimar Mall for the deposit of Rs4.26 crore property and fire tax in 2017. The firm approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which ordered it to deposit Rs1 crore and asked the authorities to decide its appeal. The appeal was lying with the Divisional Commissioner.
The Divisional Commissioner asked the Commissioner to pass a speaking order in the matter.
On March 30 this year, MC Commissioner RK Singh quashed the tax notice of Rs4.26 crore and ordered M/s Shalimar Pvt Ltd to give an affidavit on oath to provide the details of rented property and non-rented property in question to re-assess the tax by the MC. The Zonal Taxation Officer was asked to raise a fresh property tax bill after reassessment on or before March 31, which was complied too.
Commissioner RK Singh said, "Nothing in the MC is hidden. Everything is open for all, even under the RTI or for audit. Anyway, an audit is already going on in the civic body."
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/3tFTG3x
No comments:
Post a Comment