New Delhi, Feb. 3: The income-tax department today conducted a survey of the accounts at about 100 branches of Sahara’s para-banking outfit.

“It is basically an inquiry to scrutinise and verify assessments on a sample basis as part of the accepted practice of scrutinising two per cent of the total two crore tax assessees in the country,” said J.G. Pendse, CBDT member (investigation).

Tax officials clarified that it was not a search and seizure operation.

The branches they visited account for seven per cent of the total.

Usually, out of the two crore tax assessees, about 200,000 are taken up for scrutiny for a random check to ensure better tax compliance and Sahara branches this year fell into this sample category, the officials said.

“Even big corporate houses like the Birlas and the Tatas are routinely scrutinised and this was conducted in a very friendly manner,” Pendse explained.

There were no searches and no para-banking details were sought, he added.

As part of this exercise to verify information, tax officials started visiting Sahara branches since yesterday.

A Sahara spokesperson said tax officials had surveyed the group’s para-banking arm. “It’s a routine check up and a sample one at that. We have no problems with it.”

The scrutiny, under the provisions of Section 133A of the Income-Tax Act, was conducted in branches in Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Mumbai, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

In Uttar Pradesh, where the group is based, 46 inspectors drawn from various offices of the investigation wing of the tax department carried out the survey of the para-banking offices under Sahara India Financial Corporation Limited.

Tax officials said officers had reached the regional head offices in Uttar Pradesh around 10 a.m. today and wrapped up by noon.

“It was a swift, precise operation which lasted for two hours. We made some verification, enquiries and obtained relevant papers,” said B.K. Srivastava, a spokesperson in the office of the director general of income-tax, Lucknow zone.

“The verification process was smooth and uninterrupted. We have sent the result of our enquiries to our offices in Delhi,” said Abha Kala, additional director general, Lucknow.