Small Vehicles, Big Scam: Tax-Evaded Goods Flooding Warehouses, Department Unaware,

Pavneet Singh bindra

Haldwani: The city’s Transport Nagar is rapidly gaining notoriety as a hub of tax evasion. Alleged transport traders are fearlessly devising new methods to run multi-crore operations, causing massive revenue losses to the government.

Modus Operandi

• Goods such as groceries, gutkha, and other items are being brought in bulk from Delhi, Moradabad, Bareilly, and other cities without proper billing and tax.
• These consignments are first unloaded in Rudrapur and Kichha.
• From there, the goods are transferred into smaller closed-body vehicles, pickups, and mini trucks.
• The consignments are then unloaded at warehouses in Haldwani’s Transport Nagar and other rented storage units.
• On Rampur Road too, traders linked to the gutkha business have set up warehouses where illegal goods are freely stocked.

Allegations of Collusion

• Sources claim that traders involved in tax evasion have close ties with drivers of the State Tax Department’s mobile teams.
• These drivers allegedly tip off traders with updates about departmental checks, allowing them to escape action.
• As a result, official action is largely seen as a token formality rather than effective enforcement.

Impact

• This smuggling network is causing the government to lose crores in revenue.
• Transport Nagar’s reputation is being marred as the epicenter of tax evasion.
• Genuine traders are facing unfair competition from those dealing in untaxed goods.