The Kozhikode Corporation has suspended four officials of the Revenue wing in connection with the alleged misuse of their user IDs and passwords to login to Sanchaya software, which is used to track building tax details.
Corporation Secretary K.U. Bini said in a press release that the corporation had come to know of building numbers allotted to some illegal structures as well as the tax remitted after digital signatures of such buildings.
The Beypore zonal revenue officer, Beypore zonal office superintendent, Kozhikode main office superintendent, and main office revenue inspector were suspended pending investigation.
The Secretary said a police complaint had been filed. However, she brushed aside allegations that the corporation had taken no action even though the issue was brought to its notice by one of the suspended officials seven months ago. Ms. Bini said the issue that was brought to the corporation’s attention was regarding glitches in the software. The problem was reported to the Information Kerala Mission which had developed the software, and the glitches were cleared.
The corporation is reported to have identified six discrepancies in wards 8, 61, 62, and 63, but the Opposition parties have complained that there are thousands of such cases and demanded a comprehensive investigation into the matter. The United Democratic Front (UDF) council party has issued a statement demanding that all building numbers issued over the past one year be frozen and investigated. The front also sought action against ‘middlemen’ who influenced the activities of the corporation.
Earlier, Mayor Beena Philip told reporters that the Information Kerala Mission was looking into the matter. She said it was suspected that external agencies were involved in the scam.
Building numbers are allotted after a four-stage process, including entry, verification, and confirmation. Officials check files online to sanction numbers. It was an investigation into how a few illegal building owners obtained numbers that threw light on the scam involving leakage of passwords.
