The Goods and Services Tax (GST) department carried out a series of coordinated surveys across Ahmedabad on Monday and Tuesday, targeting some of the city’s biggest Navratri garba organisers. The action comes amid allegations of large-scale irregularities in ticket sales and suspected tax evasion.
According to sources, simultaneous checks were conducted at eight prominent venues, including Rang Morla, Suvarna Nagri and Swarnim Nagri. Events featuring star performers such as Aditya Gadhvi, Jigrdan Gadhvi and Purva Mantri were also under scrutiny.
Black marketing allegations
Officials moved in after receiving complaints that passes, which were supposed to be sold at fixed prices, were allegedly being traded at inflated rates in the black market. “Several passes were being sold at double or even triple their declared price,” a senior official said, adding that investigators are probing whether organisers manipulated revenue declarations to underreport collections.
Organisers under the scanner
Navratri garba in Ahmedabad is a multi-crore industry that attracts massive crowds every year. High demand for passes, coupled with limited venue capacity, often fuels black marketing, with tickets reportedly sold through informal channels at steep premiums.
“On paper, organisers declare a fixed number of passes at a set price. But in reality, prices are often inflated and bulk sales are routed through middlemen,” said a source close to the inquiry.
The GST department is now examining the organisers’ financial records — including sales ledgers, online transactions and spot collections — to determine whether taxable income was deliberately underreported.
Not the first time
This is not the first instance of scrutiny over Ahmedabad’s garba economy. In past years, both income-tax and GST officials have flagged discrepancies in event revenues, pointing to the enormous earnings generated through sponsorships, advertising, ticketing and celebrity performances. Investigators argue that a significant portion of these earnings often slip into the shadow economy.
While the GST department has not yet issued a formal statement, insiders indicated that the recent surveys may be followed by notices and further inquiries if evidence of tax evasion emerges.