PAC directs transport dept to recover Rs 152.56 cr revenue loss

SHILLONG, NOV 14: The Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has directed the transport department to submit its action taken report to recover revenue loss to the tune of Rs 152.56 crore within three months.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting held here on Wednesday, PAC chairman Charles Pyngrope said the committee in its deliberation has taken serious note of the CAG report for year ended March 31, 2017 which clearly indicated the lapses in the department leading to revenue loss of Rs 152.56 crore.

He said one of the main reasons for such lost was due to the non performance or the ineffectiveness of the officers concerned to take action on penalties and other taxes which could have raised the state’s exchequer.

Supplementing to this, member and Congress legislator from Rangsakona Zenith Sangma informed that there were 52 cases of revenue loss detected which include 22 relating to short realisation of revenue amounting to Rs 49 crore and 23 are those relating to other irregularities amounting to Rs 101.80 crore.

Stating that the senior officials of the department who were summoned before the PAC have assured to recover the revenue loss from the different defaulters, Sangma said, “We have given the department three months time to submit its action taken report.”

The PAC has also directed the department to ensure that the two weigh bridges one at Umling in Ri Bhoi District and another at 7^th Mile in West Jaintia Hills District to pay tax of Rs 7 crore each, which was not realised till today.

Sangma also informed that the Committee has suggested the department to frame the agreement while leasing weigh bridges in such a way that the lessee has to pay at least 50 percent as the first instalment.

On the other hand, Congress Mawsynram legislator Himalaya Shangpliang said the department was also asked to fix responsible on those responsible for allowing overloaded trucks carrying limestones to ply which has resulted to revenue loss of Rs 10.51 crore.

He said that about 66,000 metric tones of limestones have  been transported without any accounts from April 2015 to March 2016 while over 19,000 trucks were allowed to pass through the check gates without proper documents including the weighment slips.

By Our Reporter