The Income Tax department might be acting swiftly to collect tax from those who have stashed crores of unaccounted money on foreign shores, but it seems to be lacking fire when it comes to optimum utilisation of its own properties.
The Income Tax department might be acting swiftly to collect tax from those who have stashed crores of unaccounted money on foreign shores, but it seems to be lacking fire when it comes to optimum utilisation of its own properties.
Despite sitting on two huge plots, one in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and the other at Nariman Point, the department is spending Rs120 crore a year on rentals. While it was given the BKC space – with a building potential of 1 lakh sq.ft – in 2005, the other land admeasuring about 10700 sq. ft, with a minimum capacity of 22,000 sq. ft, has been under its possession from the 1990s.
Sources said about a decade ago, the department had quoted Rs100 crore for building an office structure, which never materialised. Today, it may cost a little over Rs 200 crore.
"It is nothing but a criminal waste of money," said an I-T official who didn't wish to be named. "The decision-makers are not at all bothered about unnecessary expenditure. This is happening because of bureaucratic delay, negligence and lack of decision-making."
After the allotment of the BKC plot to I-T in 2005, the Central Public Works department (CPWD) had taken up the job of building a structure, but so far, even the ground floor is not completed.
"Initially, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation had two issues with the land development. One, the proposed FSI and second, meeting the Coastal Regulation Zone norms," said an official familiar with the development, referring to the Nariman Point plot.
He said the department had earlier proposed 1:7 floor space index (FSI) for it which was rejected by the BMC. Later, the department brought it down to 1:3, which was acceptable. Despite this, the development remains in a limbo.
According to insiders, some of the top authorities, who are nearing their retirement, are not keen to take a call on the complex issue of land development as they want to stay away from getting entangled in any sort of controversy in future.
The Mumbai tax department has six lease properties in prime locations of the city since 1993 and spends about Rs200 crores a year towards rentals.
Around 300 new officers with their staff have taken charge in the city in the past few months. Out of them, about 100 officers are somehow managing their work without any office accommodation. In some offices, five to six officers are made to sit in one room. The space scarcity faced by the staff is ever worse.
Fed up with the obstacles, the officers have of late warned the administration that in the absence of adequate infrastructure, they should not be held responsible for any revenue loss.
"We are told that negotiations for office space at Air India building at Nariman Point and MTNL building at Fort are in final stage. But so far, neither a single sq ft has been added to the existing space, nor has any agreement finally signed with Air-India or MTNL," added sources.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}