FIR registered over collection of illegal road tax at Shambu
TAX WAS BEING COLLECTED FROM PRIVATE COMMERCIAL VEHICLES ENTERING PUNJAB; CHECK-POST HAS DISAPPEARED SINCE MATTER CAME TO FORE
PATIALA : Unidentified persons were booked on Saturday for operating an illegal road tax collection check-post near the Shambu barrier, the entry point to Punjab from the Haryana side on the National Highway-44.
Road tax was being collected from private commercial vehicles entering the state at the check-post that has disappeared after the matter came to the fore, officials said.
A departmental action has been initiated against three transport department officials for not flagging the illegality.
The case was lodged under sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security, etc), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (fraudulently using as genuine any document) and 120-B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code at the Shambu police station on the complaint of the regional transport authority (RTA) secretary.
Those involved the illegal operation are believed to be close to a ruling Congress MLA, it is learnt. A transport official said, “Tax was being illegally collected by setting up a proper check post every night. The monthly collection was around Rs 50 lakh. The police were aware of it, but chose to turn a blind eye to it.”
RTA secretary Paramjit Singh said, “I joined here a few months back. As soon as this came to my notice, I recommended registration of an FIR and shifted the entire staff posted at the Shambu barrier. A departmental action has been initiated against three officials for the lapse.”
SHO Gurmeet Singh said their investigation was on.
Nearly two years ago, a vehicle that paid Rs 5,000 as entry tax at the check post was later challaned in Hoshiarpur for showing fake receipt. The matter reached top officials, but it was never probed properly.
Also, the vigilance bureau had flagged this issue with transport officials after another fake receipt was found, but they didn’t act, sources said. Earlier, names of some ruling party leaders had surfaced for running an illicit distillery, liquor smuggling and GST evasion in Shambu.