Health Minister’s father rejects IT report that unaccounted cash found at home was collected from job aspirants

CHENNAI:

Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar’s father Chinnathambi rejected the allegations made by Income Tax department that he had received cash from various persons to get government jobs and transfers.

This comes in the wake of report submitted by Income Tax department to the State government over alleged irregularities in mining and seizure of unaccounted cash from state health minister’s home in Pudukottai accessed by the media.

The report alleges that according to a sworn statement recorded from Chinnathambi, of the Rs 20 lakh recovered from minister's residence at Ilupur in Pudukottai, Rs 12,96,000 was found in brown covers with names of candidates written on each cover with regard to job in nutrition meal scheme. However, the allegation has been denied by the health minister and his father

Chinnathambi in a statement said that political rivals are spreading rumours and causing mental stress to the family. “We have been cooperating with Income Tax and will face these alleged insuniations both legally and politically,” he added.

Denying the allegations health minister said that the raids happened one and a half year ago. There was no seizure of cash by income tax department. And we have been cooperating with Income Tax officials. We will be legally taking up this case, the minister said.

The Income Tax report also alleges that during search and seizure proceedings conducted in the premises of J Srinivasan, personal assistant to health minister at Vasantham flats in New Betaniya Nagar in Valasaravakkam, two incriminating documents containing data-wise noting of fund collection and its application was recovered from e-mailjanakiramanseenu@gmail.com (operated by J Srinivasan). Similarly Income Tax department alleged that it perused through collections made to various persons and entities from July 23, 2015 to November 9, 2016 which is worth more than Rs 20.75 crore. Srinivasan could not be contacted.

Mining: The Income tax department also highlighted about the irregularities in mining in the land owned by Vijayabaskar which was leased to Subbiah.

It is stated that as per the Green clearance, the approved depth for quarrying is 43 metres below ground level and approved quantum was 2.95 lakh cubic metres of rough stone. As per the report of Valuation cell, Income Tax department, the depth of quarry at Thiruvengavasal Village of Illupur taluk in Pudukottai is 72 metres and a total of 23.76 lakh cubic metre of rough stone and 2.75 lakh cubic metre of mixture of gravel and earth totaling to 25.51 lakh cubic metres have been unearthed till August 2017.