Haryana taxation officers sore

CHANDIGARH, Nov 24: Excise and Taxation officers in Haryana are up in arms against the government. They are resenting the alleged "lack...

CHANDIGARH, Nov 24: Excise and Taxation officers in Haryana are up in arms against the government. They are resenting the alleged "lack of support" from the government in their drive against plying of illegal buses by transport lobby in the state under political patronage.

In a memorandum to Chief Minister Bansi Lal, the Haryana Excise and Taxation Officers’ Association has expressed inability to undertake raids or any other exercise to check buses plying illegally throughout the state until adequate arrangements to give protection to the officers. It said that it was becoming impossible to carry out enforcement work in the present circumstances. P Singh, president of the association, said the excise and taxation officers did not have any choice in the matter.

The confrontation has been triggered off by the sudden transfer of Excise and Taxation Commissioner R N Prashar after the department swung into action against illegal buses being allegedly operated by relatives of Haryana Assembly Speaker, Chattar Singh Chauhan. The excise and taxation officers of Rohtak circle had caught several buses plying in Bhiwani in gross violation of the rules, according to officials. The department registered cases against the bus operators.

However, pressure was mounted on Prashar to "go slow" in the matter but when he refused to comply and was shunted out within two days, they alleged. While the government said the excise officers had exceeded their brief during the surprise check in Bhiwani, officials allege that attempts were being made to protect the well-connected transporters. When contacted, HAryana Chief Secretary, R.S. Varma, dismissed the allegations as "baseless".

Earlier this month, the brutal murder of an Excise and Taxation Officer (ETO), Lachhman Ram, at Faridabad on November 1 after he detected tax evasion by a transport company caused immense tension in the department. The developments have evoked sharp reactions from Indian National Lok Dal and Congress, which have accused the government of punishing honest officers to protect the defaulters.