BBMP raids Manyata Tech Park, seizes furniture and machines
FollowManyata Tech Park had special visitors on Monday that sent shock waves throughout offices that are housed in the vast Tech Park.
BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) sleuths carried out a raid at the corporate office of Manyata Promoters Private Limited, situated in the Tech Park. They seized all movable properties in the office that left many bewildered.
Manyata Tech Park has been paying tax at the rate of ₹ 8 per square foot instead of the specified ₹ 10. The company had been reminded several times by the BBMP about paying under-rated tax under the Self Assessment Scheme.
Manyata owes the BBMP ₹ 273 crore in tax arrears. The company has failed to pay the due tax despite a high court notice and a subsequent warrant that was issued. The BBMP had even posted a huge flex banner in October last year at the main gate that named Manyata along with nine other companies as tax defaulters, pretty huge to miss right? But the company still did not bother to reply says an official.
The BBMP finally sprang into action on Monday and conducted a raid on offices at Manyata Tech Park as per the High Court’s (HC) order. The sleuths confiscated office furniture, chairs, tables, copy machines, LED computer monitors, Televisions, Citations, Medals, CPUs, Stabilizers and some important documents from the Manyata Tech Corporate Office, in accordance with the court’s directive.
Manyata Tech Park houses IT giants like IBM, Axa, Microsoft, Atlas, Aditi Technologies, Cognizant, Colt, Data Craft, Just Dial, L & T, Nokia, Philips, SLK Group, TCS among other big companies. More than 95,000 employees belonging to different companies are said to be working here. Officials say that tax from 17 large office complexes, situated in the 125 acre expanse of the Tech Park is still due.
Questioning the verdict of the Single Member Bench of the high court, Manyata appealed to a Two Member Bench. A hearing of the case is likely to come up today, June 21. Advocate General, Ashok Harnahalli will argue on behalf of the BBMP.
The BBMP, however, had already filed a caveat in the Two Member Bench of the high Court, as a precautionary move in the eventuality of an appeal by Manyata Tech Park authorities, said M Shivaraju, Chairperson, Tax and Finance, Standing Committee, BBMP.
