E-Paper
IT dept sets up 24x7 control rooms to curb use of black money in elections
The toll-free number and WhatsApp numbers are 18001802141 and 7589166713 for Punjab, 18001802143 and 9625699297 for Haryana, 18001808200 and 9816084117 for Himachal Pradesh, and 18001807190 and 9797071443 for Jammu
In order to curb the use of black money in the general elections to Lok Sabha and by-elections in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, the director general of income tax (investigation), North West Region, Chandigarh, has established 24x7 control rooms across the income tax offices in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Chandigarh.
These control rooms, set up under the mandate of the Election Commission of India, are equipped with toll-free numbers and a WhatsApp number for receiving information regarding movement of large sums of cash by any mode of transport (road, air or railways) or other valuables/items suspected to be used for unduly influencing the election process or any covert expenditure being made by a candidate/political party, according to an official release. Also, more than 50 Quick Response Teams (QRTs) have been deployed in the region to immediately act on the information so received.
The toll-free number and WhatsApp numbers are 18001802141 and 7589166713 for Punjab, 18001802143 and 9625699297 for Haryana, 18001808200 and 9816084117 for Himachal Pradesh, and 18001807190 and 9797071443 for Jammu. The DG IT (Investigation) urged the people to call these numbers and play an active role in curbing the use of money or other valuables in order to ensure that the upcoming elections are free and fair. “The identity of the caller will be kept confidential,” he said.
