The Income Tax department has issued a notice to BMC administrator Iqbal Singh Chahal in connection with the case pertaining to standing committee chairman Yashwant Jadhav. The notice was issued to Chahal on March 3, directing him to provide, on March 10, the books of accounts and other evidence pertaining to the standing committee proposals.
Chahal told the Free Press Journal, “I have not visited the IT office even once. These notices come and get answered at appropriate lower levels.”
As per the notice, Chahal has been directed to provide the list of standing committee members and office bearers, if any. He also needs to provide the roles of office bearers and the roles or functions of sub committees; a list of tenders floated and approved in the standing committee from April 1, 2018 till date; the list of contractors to whom contracts were awarded from April 1, 2018 to March 2, 2022. The notice has also asked Chahal to provide details regarding the process of checking the completion of work, submission of bills, releasing of funds to contractors, minutes of all standing committee meetings from April 2018 to March 2022. Copies of Audit report of Central government or state government or CAG reports till date.
An IT official said, “The notice was not sent to Iqbal Singh Chahal in his personal capacity. It has been sent to BMC Commissioner to give us certain information in the case of Yashwant Jadhav. The BMC Commissioner is a witness in the case of proceedings going on in the case of Jadhav.” He said the IT department has met a few senior BMC officials and have informed them that the BMC can send information through post, courier or a peon.
The IT department on February 25 had raided the house of Jadhav and allegedly found proof of around three dozen properties, worth around Rs 130 crore. The I-T department also claimed to have found evidence of involvement in international hawala transactions and routing of ill-gotten money to certain foreign jurisdictions.
