Lok Satta moves to Mumbai
The Lok Satta’s crusade to reform Central Excise is taking them to Mumbai today and tomorrow with a workshop on Central Excise. The same group of officers and NGO volunteers are in Mumbai to discuss obviously the same issues. Even the CVC is going to be there. Lok Satta’s convener, Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan said in Hyderabad that Mumbai is not going to be an encore of Hyderabad, but from the programme sent to us, it appears that Mumbai is going to be a carbon copy of Hyderabad. The next show is in Ahmedabad. The Chief Commissioner there informed us that the programme there is going to be different.
Meanwhile officers from all corners of the country have already flown into Mumbai and are enjoying the hospitality of Mumbai Central Excise. An officer from Mumbai asks me in anguish,
At least 10 of the participants in the Mumbai seminar will come from different parts of India - Delhi, Chandigarh etc - All Commissioner level - How does the Dept make arrangements for all these officers - Does the Dept have the mechanism to house these officers/ guest houses / vehicle arrangements at the beck and call of these officers – Do they have the paraphernalia to accommodate all such officers and more so for such an obsolete exercise? Who will arrange these? Again the officers in charge of organising will arrange them from their contacts in the Industry -- Request big/ small industrial houses for their guest houses and vehicles - Is this not the stepping stone to corruption , albeit in a different and may I say undignified manner. .. Is it not asking for favours from Trade? Is it not making use of the official position? Doesn’t this amount to harassment of officers also? ---
Will Lok Satta, CBEC and CVC discuss this issue? How many assessees were harassed for guest houses and vehicles for the Lok Satta’s crusade?
Until Tomorrow with more DDT
Have a nice day.
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