New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) A senior Delhi government trade and tax official has alleged that there were attempts by an MP and a civic councillor to influence him during the survey of Tivoli Garden resort in February 2010, an RTI finding revealed.
In reply to an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, Jalaj Srivastva, Commissioner, Trade and Taxes June 22 wrote a letter to the Delhi finance minister, finance secretary and principal secretary complaining that a ‘certain minister’ called on his mobile phone and asked him to intervene in the survey on Tivoli Garden resort by the VAT team.
Srivastva wrote ‘while the survey was on in Tivoli Garden and the Value Added Tax (VAT) team was present in the premises he received a phone call on his mobile from a certain minister in the Delhi government and was asked to intervene. He refused to do so,’ the RTI reply stated.
The allegations were levelled against Delhi minister for trying to influence tax officials who were surveying Tivoli Garden resort in south Delhi in February 2010.
‘After the survey he received received numerous calls from among others a Member of Parliament (MP)and MCD councillor who called him to influence him,’ the RTI reply said.
‘He further stated this shows the clout exercised by the said dealer and the extent to which he would go to use influence,’ RTI said.
