I-T dept sets up control room to curb use of money power in MCD polls

By Shailesh Yadav
New Delhi [India], November 17 : The Directorate of Investigation of Delhi's income tax department has set up a 24X7 control room ahead of the upcoming municipal elections in the national capital.
The move, said officials, is to check the flow and use of money power in the polls.
According to a statement, the control room started functioning from the ground floor of C Block, Civic Centre at Delhi's Minto Road from Thursday.
The control room could be reached through a toll-free number -- 1800117574.
Rajat Kumar Kureel, additional director of Income Tax (Investigation), Unit -6, Delhi, has been appointed the nodal officer for monitoring complaints or information regarding movement of cash and other items suspected to be used for influencing or bribing voters.
Information regarding dubious monetary transactions or distribution of cash are to be brought to the notice of the I-T sleuths through the toll-free number, officials said.
The role of the directorate of investigation is to ensure free, fair and transparent elections by controlling the role of unaccounted money in the election process.
In line with this objective, Delhi's I-T sleuths will take proactive steps to recover and seize unaccounted funds intended to be utilised for electioneering purpose.
Announcing the election schedule for the 250-ward Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which is currently being by the BJP, the State Election Commission had earlier said polling will be held on December 4 and the counting of votes will take place on December 7.
This will be the first civic election in the national capital after the fresh delimitation exercise.
The high-stakes poll will be held in the gap between the two phases of the Gujarat Assembly elections, scheduled for December 1 and 5.