LDA : I-T dept wants tainted officials? names

THE INCOME Tax authorities have sought names and addresses of the 14 LDA officials suspended for alleged involvement in a land scam running into crores of rupees in the authority?s Jankipuram housing scheme on Sitapur Road.

THE INCOME Tax authorities have sought names and addresses of the 14 LDA officials suspended for alleged involvement in a land scam running into crores of rupees in the authority’s Jankipuram housing scheme on Sitapur Road.

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In a letter to LDA Vice Chairman BB Singh, assistant director Income Tax (investigation) BD Singh has sought details of the officials suspended to assess their income and assets. According to sources, the I-T officials’ initiative comes at the behest of the CBI, which is probing the land scam on the orders of the Allahabad High Court.

“The premiere investigating agency almost always takes the help of the Income Tax department in corruption matters to check whether a case of disproportionate assets could be made out against the accused,” said an official.

He said the I-T sleuths were likely to check details of the Income Tax return filed by the LDA officials suspended and their declared assets of the period during which the scam took place.

“This period could range from 1997 to 1999 when the 123 plots in question were fraudulently sold off,” he said.

Of the 14 officials suspended in this connection by Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav on January 31, two have passed away.

The 12 others include suspended secretary of the Allahabad Development Authority RN Singh and SB Bharti. Among PCS officers Misri Lal Paswan and Sree Pal Verma and under secretary, RP Singh, property officer Ram Pyare Singh assistant property officer Babu Ram and seven other clerical staff.