I-T teams to check black money usage in N-E byelections

 The Income Tax (I-T) department here on Tuesday said it will deploy teams in Assam, Tripura and Sikkim to keep a tab on the use of black money during the September 13 Assembly bypolls.

An official release issued here said, the I-T department of the north-eastern region has taken this step to curb the use of black money during the bypolls in Assembly constituencies in the region.  Bypolls for three Assembly seats in Assam (Silchar, Lakhipur and Jamunamukh), and one each in Tripura (Manu) and Sikkim (Rangang-Yangang), will be held on September 13.

Intelligence gathering The statement said that in compliance with the direction of the Election Commission, the Income Tax department was gathering intelligence in the region.

“The I-T department would keep a vigil at some sensitive places too. Two teams would be deployed in Assam and one in Tripura. Separately, air intelligence teams would be deployed at Guwahati, Jorhat, Silchar, Dibrugarh, Tezpur and Agartala airports and a 24-hour duty-bound control room would be set up at the Aayakar Bhavan in Guwahati,” the release stated.

“With the surveillance system coming into force immediately, the Guwahati-based control room would receive and record voice complaints from the public too,” the statement added.