Corporator accuses tax inspectors of malpractice

Tax inspectors of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) have come under scanner for their alleged fraudulent practices. The tax inspectors reportedly issued ‘A’ khatas to many illegal localities on revenue land (agriculture land), leading to huge losses to the Palike exchequer.

It is said that not only did these inspectors permit encroachment of 22 acres of Gottigere Lake and a 30-acre pasture land at Pattanagere in Bangalore South, but also legalised the encroachment by issuing ‘A’ khata to the sites.

Raising this issue in the BBMP council, Yediyur corporator N R Ramesh claimed that tax inspectors have assets worth Rs 2,000 crore.

“A tax inspector is the vice president of a housing cooperative society and has amassed wealth disproportionate to his known source of income. Another tax inspector owns many expensive cars,” said Ramesh. He said 316 of the present tax inspectors had worked as watermen and bill collectors in the erstwhile CMCs. After the CMCs were merged with the Bangalore Municipal Corporation to form Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, they were given positions of tax inspectors.

He said all the wrongdoings of these tax inspectors were recorded in 4,000 assessment registers, which are now stored in the BBMP Malleswaram office.

Opposition leader Manjunath Reddy said he too has demanded a probe into the matter. Similar views were expressed by Chamarajpet corporator B V Ganesh and R Prakash, the Jayamahal corporator and the JD-S floor leader.

Mayor B S Sathyanarayana termed the issue ‘grave’ and instructed the commissioner to look into it. BBMP commissioner M Lakshminarayana said that an inquiry committee headed by a retired IAS officer will be set up in two days’ time. The committee is required to submit a report within two months.

If the charges are found to be true, the matter will be handed over to the Lokayukta for further investigation.