Devendra Fadnavis asks police chief to probe octroi evasion at checkpoints

Mumbai: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today directed Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria to set up a task force to probe the alleged octroi evasion at checkpoints due to a nexus between transporters' agents and Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) officials.

"This is a very serious matter. The MCGM is losing a lot of money. Constitute a taskforce to investigate the nexus between agents and officials," Fadnavis said in a letter to Maria.

"I had apprised the Chief Minister about news reports that octroi is being evaded at checkpoints. This is causing a loss of crores of rupees to the MCGM since octroi is an important source of revenue for the civic
corporation.

"Thus, I had requested the CM to direct Rakesh Maria to constitute a taskforce to probe the nexus between MCGM officials and agents," Mumbai BJP leader Ashish Shelar told reporters here.

Citing news reports, Shelar said that unauthorised agents, transporters of goods and Octroi Department officials are hand in glove with each other and pay a lesser amount of octroi before bringing their goods into the city.

"Along with these people, some political leaders too seem to be involved in the conspiracy and it does not seem that the MCGM has any definite plan to counter this menace. This matter is a serious one from the law and order perspective as well," Shelar said.