Transport secy loses cool at operation

Patna: Transport department’s secretary Sanjay Kumar Agarwal on Friday lashed out at a commercial taxes official during a seizure operation at the Bankipore bus depot.

Agarwal had received a tip-off on Thursday evening about medicines and other goods being loaded on a bus coming to Patna from Ranchi. The vehicle was a Bihar State Road Transport Corporation bus owned by Patna resident Bharti Devi.

The bus was raided early on Friday morning at the Mithapur bus stand. The driver and conductor fled the spot but the bus and the items, including electronic gadgets worth Rs 1.5 crore, were seized. The bus was brought to the Bankipore depot for unloading of the items.

Agarwal had called commercial taxes deputy commissioner Shiven Kumar and senior drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad to check the goods and medicines seized.

Shiven allegedly remained dull and was not taking any initiative to check the goods being unloaded from the bus’s roof when Agarwal reprimanded him.

Agarwal said: “Are you also getting a share from these goods? Your body language says you are also involved in it and that’s the reason you are just standing and doing nothing. Without the support of you people it is not possible that anyone can dare to do such things.”

The official’s face turned pale and his hands started shaking, The Telegraph noted. Agarwal, however, did not stop and added: “You do nothing and when we have called you with the information, you still do nothing. Go and check these packets – what is inside or else I have to inform madam (read Sujata Chaturvedi, commissioner-cum-principal secretary of the commercial taxes department).”

Without wasting any time, Shiven started unpacking the cartons from which several laptops were found. Agarwal asked him how much tax would a person need to pay if the consignment came through the proper channels, and Shiven said 5 per cent.

Agarwal directed the commercial taxes official to file a case of tax evasion and not to release the goods till the department receives the go-ahead from the transport department.

Agarwal said strict action would be taken against the person responsible for the illegal transportation of goods in a passenger vehicle, even if they were government employees. “The bus’s permit has been cancelled and the transport department has cancelled the contract with the private operator of the bus,” Agarwal said.

Courtesy: The Telegraph