The Income Tax Department's Intelligence and Criminal Investigation Wing has launched an extensive probe into two tehsil offices in Gurugram over non-disclosure of property registry data for the past five years. Prior irregularities include arrests of officials accepting bribes, misrepresentation of property types, and unauthorized issuance of 1,200 land registries. The investigation highlights the necessity of transparency and stringent oversight in land registry processes to ensure public interest and administrative accountability.
The Intelligence and Criminal Investigation Wing of the Income Tax Department has initiated a thorough examination of two tehsil offices located in Kadipur and Harsaru, Gurugram. The investigation, which commenced early on Friday last week, is primarily focused on the absence of shared registry details to the I-T department over the past half-decade.
Under the prevailing norms, the revenue department in tehsil offices is mandated to share with the I-T department all property registries exceeding the value of Rs 30 lakh. This information, inclusive of names, PAN and Aadhaar card details of the property buyers and sellers, is essential for I-T scrutiny and survey operations.
The lack of this crucial data has critically impeded the department's operations, causing them to initiate the "search and survey" operation, an I-T official reported.
Previous instances have seen officials from the revenue department facing scrutiny over alleged irregularities. On April 6, an arrest was made of a tehsildar accused of accepting a Rs 40 lakh bribe to authorize illegal colonies. This tehsildar, also managing the Manesar office, was charged with incorrectly categorizing industrial plots as agricultural ones, thereby inflicting significant losses on the state treasury due to circle rate disparities.
Less than two weeks later, on April 19, a revenue department sales deed writer from Sohna was arrested on bribery charges of Rs 60,000, purportedly on behalf of the deputy tehsildar.
Adding to the case's complexity, on July 22 of the previous year, the Haryana government had to enact a statewide ban on all registries after discovering numerous illegal registries had been issued during the initial lockdown, orchestrated by local tehsildars in collusion with property dealers.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar then suspended seven incumbent and retired tehsildars, who were later charged for contravening Section 7 of the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas Act, 1975. Subsequent inquiries revealed approximately 1,200 land registries were processed without the requisite notifications to the town and country planning department or the necessary no-objection certificates.
As per regulations, the sale deeds registration of plots under half an acre necessitates permission from the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP).
In conclusion, the ongoing investigation by the I-T department underscores the importance of transparency and accountability in land registry processes. The uncovering of these irregularities brings to light systemic issues that need immediate rectification to safeguard public interest and ensure the proper functioning of the revenue departments. This situation should serve as a stark reminder of the vigilance required in public offices and the urgency of robust mechanisms for oversight.
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