Fastway evaded tax: Bains bros; firm refutes charge
Tuesday, 16/06/2015
http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Tribune/
Chandigarh : After its series of protests against the alleged sand mafia, Team Insaaf, led by Independent MLAs Balwinder Singh Bains and Simarjit Singh Bains, today alleged a tax evasion of Rs 12,377.86 crore in the last seven years by M/s Fastway Transmission Pvt Ltd, who are considered very close to the ruling Badal family.
Addressing a press conference here today, they alleged the company was minting money by not paying due taxes and fee to various departments.
They also alleged the cable mafia had ruined the business of several local cable operators, many of whom had left the business to save their lives.
The cable mafia has figured in the news a number of times in the past. On March 29, Jaswinder Singh Jassi, a cable operator had committed suicide allegedly due to the harassment by the mafia.
Reacting to the allegations, Gurdeep Singh, managing director, and Rajesh Mehru, head (finance), of the Fastway Transmission in a detailed reply via email said the allegations were false, frivolous, half-cooked, vindictive, vague and fake.
They said the company was paying all taxes regularly and abiding by the law of the land. They have threatened legal action against the MLAs for defaming them by suggesting that they were the cable mafia. They issued a point-by-point denial of the allegations.
The MLAs said as they couldn’t expect any inquiry or action by the state government, they had knocked on the doors of the Centre. They said that they had sent all the details and documents of their six-month investigation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for immediate action.
The MLAs, flanked by members of NGO Team Insaaf, blamed the Akali Dal-led state government of ignoring the huge tax evasion by Fastway Transmission. “We have documentary evidence to show two persons having shares both in Fastway Transmission and in Orbit Resorts, thus establishing the link with the Badals,” Simarjit Bains said.
They said if the Centre did not act, they would gherao the offices of Fastway Transmission. The MLAs also asked cable TV subscribers to insist on getting a receipt for their monthly payment.
