Ministers still exempt from airport check

Nagpur: The income tax department will be keeping an eye on aircraft engaged by candidates during election campaigns. For the first time, following instructions of the Election Commission of India, teams of income tax officials will remain at airports to prevent any movement of unaccounted cash, especially through chartered aircraft engaged by the politicians.
Candidates will be frisked and checked at the time of boarding. However, even as teams will be placed round the clock at airports, certain categories of politicians would still be spared from the checking. This is because there is a list of exempted persons whose baggage need not be checked. Cabinet ministers are included in it. They are spared from personal frisking and baggage checking. The exemption will continue during elections too, said a source.

Although people accompanying such person in the aircraft will be checked, said a source in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is deployed at the airport. Taxmen will be carrying out the vigilance exercise in coordination with CISF.

Jairaj Kajla, the department’s principal director (investigation) at Nagpur, said his office will be covering six airports. These include, airports at Gondia, Jalgaon, Nanded, Aurangabad, and Nashik, apart from Nagpur. The teams will be present at the airport round the clock keeping a close vigil.

“A list of chartered flights, including helicopters, to be operate during election period has been sought by the airports authority of India (AAI). The Election Commission will also provide a list of sensitive airports where higher movement of cash is expected,” Kajla said.

He said the department has also started a control room where the general public can come up with complaints regarding circulation of black money. Calls can be made at 1800-233-3785, 0712-2525844 or 9403391664,

Meanwhile, traders under Nagpur chamber of commerce limited (NCCL) said businessmen are facing high-handedness from officials in the name of elections. Even lower-level officials are checking vehicles. Kailash Jogani, the chamber’s president, said income tax officials are calling on the traders’ premises to take statements, but the exercise is further extended to an inquiry of cash.