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SPECIAL WORLD CUP COMPETITION INSIDE. BUMPER PRIZES TO BE WON 12-18 June, 2002 NOW! 1 BOOKED GANGTOK WEDNESDAY, 12-18 June, 2002 Vol 1 No2 Rs. 5 IN PG2 rajdhani CLOSEST YET CENTRE FINALLY APPEARS WILLING TO UNDERSTAND SIKKIM’S MISGIVINGS ON EXTENSION OF CENTRAL INCOME TAX TO SIKKIM The extension of Direct Tax Laws to Sikkim has already sealed State. Those in the know of things inform that the Centre has the fate of one government in 1994 and continues to be a offered to constitute a “high-level” committee comprising of touchy issue in the State. Few are willing to even intiate a State and Central government officials in a bid to first under- ITS debate on the issue and as former Chief Secretary, KS Rao, stand and then resolve the issue. “Income Tax is a Central puts it in his memoirs, it remains an issue that even the per- subject and there is no need for the Centre to involve local petrators are willing to exploit should the opportunity arise. officers if it is looking at implementing it in Sikkim. The offer WATER-BORNE As things stand, the Direct Tax Laws have been extended to for constituting a high-level committee with the representa- Sikkim. Only the implementation part remains unachieved. tion of officials from the State is proof that the Centre is now AND All of this could now get a rethink with the Centre finally show- finally open to the idea of reconsidering the whole Tax issue. ing some interest in trying to understand what Sikkim has They want to understand it better,” a senior politician con- against the whole idea of extending central Income Tax to the fided to NOW! ITS HERE - TURN TO PG 4 FOR DETAILS - ON PAGE 12 IS THE BOMB TICKING? THETHE BIGBIG BAICHUNGBAICHUNG SCORESSCORES ’C’’C’ ININ WITH SIKKIM WITH Most people SIKKIM here come in TENTEN too late. Early detection SPORTS could save SPORTS lives - Dr. Yogesh Verma, Consultant Pathologist, STNM Hospital 2 CLASS X STUDENTS SCORE FULL MARKS IN MATHS 2 NOW! THE COMPLETE PICTURE 12-18 June, 2002 GANGTOK: One of the 9 FIRs registered by the Sikkim Crime only one and returned the other (an attested copy of which was Branch on 31 May, 2002, accused Vinod Enterprise of Tadong of shown to NOW). The confusion arose since the split Form ‘C’s VINOD having understated purchases while filing its Sales Tax returns. It were released before the Crime Branch approached Vinod En- now appears that the charges resulted from a “clerical” error made terprise with its questionnaire and one of the Form ‘C’s returned by employees at Vinod Enterprise while replying to Crime Branch’s after Vinod Enterprise had replied leading to the misconception questionnaire. that it had understated while filing returns with the State Sales ENTERPRISE Vinod Agarwal of Vinod Enterprise, while speaking to NOW re- Tax Department. vealed that the allegation pertaining to Form C HH 151877 was In the second case, the employee at Vinod Enterprise left out the slightly complicated. It appears that the company sent the 2 Form zero in 14,02,735 while replying to Crime Branch leading it to be- ‘C’s to Siliguri-based Darjeeling Cements Ltd when it lifted goods lieve that the hardware dealer had assessed for only Rs. 1,42,735. worth Rs. 14,70,975 from it. The company had requested for two The counterfoil, attested by Sales Tax officials, bears out this story CLEARS Form ‘C’s so that it could split the amount into two. The number as the figures in it are correct - the crucial zero included. with Crime Branch carried a figure of Rs. 7,00,975 and the preced- Mr. Agarwal, while talking to NOW rued that the confusion and ing one was filled for Rs. 7,00,000 making the total tally with the the subsequent loss of faith in his dealership would not have amount in question. Following a change in central policy on the arisen had the details been crosschecked with him before the ITS NAME amount which a single Form ‘C’ could carry, the company used FIR was filed. BOOKED by A STAFF REPORTER GANGTOK: Former SP, Crime Branch, Avichal, as he left to join the Special Protection Group (SPG) rode out in the wake of perhaps the most sensational series of FIRs. Un- der him, the Crime Branch, on 31 May, 2002, registered a record number of nine FIRs on allegations varying from adulteration of petro- leum products to evasion of Sales Tax to corruption. THE A “Press Note” issued by the PETROLEUM Crime Branch discloses that nine petrol pumps along National High- DEALERS way 31-A were raided by two teams STAND of Crime Branch sleuths on 28 This has reference to the news April, 2002. The teams were act- published in a local weekly, under ing on “reliable” information that the heading “Petrol Adulterers “owners of the petrol pumps in Booked.” Sikkim were indulging in large We, the Petroleum Dealers, scale adulteration,” informs the would like to clarify that we did not hoard any POL products and Press note. Samples were collected neither did we resort to and reportedly sent off to Delhi for adulteration of petroleum quality tests. Six of the nine pumps products as per the report. failed to meet the Bureau of Indian The Oil Depots did not release Standards’ quality levels, informed petrol and diesel on the 2 June SP Avichal, and FIRs under section 2002 being a Sunday and also 7 of Essential Commodities Act, on Monday 3 June 2002, due to 1955 read with section 420 of IPC non-availability of the new rates. were registered against them. Also due to the tourist season Interestingly, large-scale adul- and advance notice of the teration of petrol normally involves expected price hike telecast in the national media there was a the use of Naptha, available in lim- sudden rush on our pumps and ited quantities as thinner for paints we experienced unusually high and used extensively in the manu- sales figures those last few days facture of zealine. Sikkim, inciden- CRIME BRANCH CLAIMS and therefore our stocks were tally has no wholesale dealer for very low. On 3 & 4 June 2002, Naptha. we had informed the Food A Press release issued by ADULTERATION, Department that we were down Sikkim Petroleum Dealers’ Asso- to reserved stock. In full ciation informs that the only method compliance of the Food of testing available with the petrol Department’s directives/ pumps is for density. Petrol pumps PETROLEUM DEALERS regulations, we kept reserved owners, while speaking to NOW, stocks of petrol and diesel on 4 June 2002 that were checked revealed that they have been pro- and controlled by the Food vided only a hydrometer and ther- Department on that very day. mometer by the oil companies to CRY FOUL The Crime Branch of the Sikkim check the “purity” of a consignment Police had taken samples of petrol before taking delivery. and diesel from most of the petrol “We have no other way of know- collected the same day at the oil de- petrol costs nowadays. Consumers not been arrested since the charges pumps from Gangtok up to ing whether there is any impurity in pots at Siliguri and Majitar from might also be interested to know that under Essential Commodities Act Rangpo on 28 April, 2002, and the petroleum consignment and fur- where Sikkim gets its supplies. “If the Bhure Lal Committee set up to constituted a non-bailable offence, SP instead of checking the density of thermore, on the same day as the the quality of our stocks were found look into the problem of adulteration Avichal revealed that since most of the POL products which is the only Crime Branch raid, mobile labora- inferior than the one at the depots in mid-nineties had recommended to the accused were permanent residents method of testing available in the pumps, they have reportedly sent tories of IOCL, BPCL and HPCL then we can be accused of foul-play, the Supreme Court to allow consum- of Sikkim and had too much at stake the samples outside the State for had conducted surprise checks and but not until it is proven that the sup- ers to sue oil companies for adulter- here to run away, an arrest was un- sophisticated laboratory tests passed the samples of all POL prod- ply was pure and our samples adul- ated fuel since action against trans- necessary. He also mentioned that which are beyond the common ucts of the dealers,” they add. The terated. If both products were adul- porters and retailers proved futile. since almost all the petrol pumps had knowledge of the dealers. dealers claim absolute innocence terated, then the depots or the oil Another study conducted by the Cen- been booked, there would be a short- We, the Dealers, are only the (read accompanying statement). companies should be booked, not tre for Science and Environment has age of fuel in the capital if the own- dispensing mediums of the Oil The dealers here maintain that us,” the petroleum dealers contend. revealed that the failure rate of pet- ers were arrested. Shortage might still Corporations and retail only what they are only the dispensing agen- It might also be mentioned here rol samples tested for purity is seven come since the petroleum dealers are we receive. We maintain that the cies and that quality control is the that Naptha, the usual agent for adul- times more than that found during now wary of lifting any further con- quality of our POL products were lookout of the companies.

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