Mangaluru: First, it was the banks that were born in Mangaluru that were absorbed into other banks that had their origin elsewhere, and now it is the turn of the local Income Tax HQ.
The decision of the Central Government to shift the local Income Tax HQ to Panaji has ruffled many feathers in the city.
The former Mangaluru South Constituency MLA J R Lobo, addressing media persons at the Mangaluru Press Club slammed the move and alleged that this has not been possible without the concurrence of the local BJP leaders.
“The economy in the country has gone down ever since the BJP came to power. After the BJP rule, many of our local banks having roots in undivided Dakshina Kannada, which have flourished over several decades have been merged with under performing banks. The recent decision to shift the Principal Commissioner of Income Tax Office, located at Attavar, Mangaluru to Panjim-Goa by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), has systematically undermined the district’s stature as an economic powerhouse. This could not have been done without the concurrence of the local BJP leaders,” he said.
Slamming the CBDT for the decision to shift the office of the principal commissioner to Panaji, J R Lobo said that Dakshina Kannada is a major industrial center, and having the office of the principal commissioner for IT would have helped bolster economic activities in the region.
“There can be no comparison in the volume of trade in this part of Karnataka to that in Panaji. Lots of promises were made by MP Nalin Kumar Kateel to transform Mangaluru Junction Railway Station into a world-class facility, but still, there has been no development in it. The unimpressive infrastructure in the region has been a major deterrent to IT companies expanding their footprint here. The much spoken about ‘Plastic Park’ too has also remained only on paper, and has not materialized even after so many years,” he said.
