CBDT forms panel to trace ‘absconding’ I-T Dept officials
There could be about 100 officials of the income tax department across the country who have been on unauthorised leave and not reported to work for years.
These officials, without resigning from the government, have either gone ahead with other ventures or have not reported to work after being sent on deputation, sources said.
In an effort to identify such “absconding” officers, a three-member committee has been formed by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to carry out a one-time account of the officers. The report is expected by May-end.
A senior government official said accumulated dues that have not been paid by the officials will have to be cleared.
“However, at this point, there is no estimate of the amount (of dues),” he said.
“There is a case where an official has been sent on deputation to a multilateral agency but on completion of the project, he has not reported back to work without any information... there is also another one where the official has not reported to work for more than 23 years. He has joined something else but has not resigned from the tax department. However, they have not been drawing any salary from the government,” a source privy to the development said.
Sources, however, said the department will not be in any position to take any stringent action against those officers who have no dues to clear. “What can the department do? At the most, they can be sacked. But in any case, their absence shows that they are not interested in working with the department,” the official said.
However, CBDT could chalk out stringent guidelines to ensure that officials, in the future, do not indulge in absence or leave without appropriate approvals.
Even as the work on the strategic Rohtang tunnel progresses slowly, the defence ministry has decided to construct four more tunnels to effect all-weather connectivity with treacherous roads linking the Chinese frontiers in Leh and Ladakh.
The four proposed tunnels will cut through lofty mountain passes in the Himalayan and Zanskar mountain ranges to facilitate year-round movement of vehicles to border areas. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), India’s elite agency responsible for the construction and maintenance of borders roads, has already engaged Italian consultants to conduct feasibility studies for the tunnels. Once built, it will cut through the avalanche-prone Shinkula pass – which connects Lahaul valley in Himachal to Zanskar in Jammu and Kashmir.
Though the 16,703-ft-high pass has no glaciers, it is highly prone to avalanches during snowy winters. It was only last year that the BRO completed the 39.6-km stretch to connect Lahaul valley with Zanskar.
The stretch connecting Darcha with Shinkula pass will also drastically reduce travel time between Manali and Leh. Experts say that the road, besides being of strategic importance, will improve connectivity for residents of the 15-odd villages in Zanskar valley.
The road will also aid the construction of a tunnel being planned beneath Shinkula pass. “The BRO has hired experts from Italy-based Geodata to conduct a feasibility study,” a senior official told Hindustan Times. This tunnel is aimed at reducing the distance between Manali and Leh.
Besides , the defence ministry has proposed the construction of a 11.25-km-long tunnel beneath the 16,040-feet Baralachala pass in Zanskar range.
The last tunnel on the Manali-Leh road will be constructed below the 16,598-feet Lachungla pass, which is on Himachal-Jammu and Kashmir boundary. It will be located just 25km from Sarchu.