In a first of its kind action in the state, the Income Tax department has conducted surveys in small districts and unearthed tax evasion to the tune of close to Rs 18 crore.

The department recently conducted a special drive and conducted raids at the business premises of firms in Tikamgarh district and found Rs 8 crore of undisclosed income.

In another such action in the coal-rich belt of Singrauli district, the department unearthed undue tax evasions worth Rs 9.5 crore.

Usually I-T searches and surveys are conducted in big urban centres and on large businesses, but the department has now decided to tap smaller areas after a proposal in this regard was mooted in the annual conference of I-T Chief Commissioners and Director Generals in Delhi recently.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (CCIT) Kamlesh Argal confirmed the actions and said that the survey in Singrauli took place after a period of 15 years.

The department will undertake more such action in further cases where the I-T has trained it''s eyes on, a senior I-T official said.

Argal said the department will soon open new Aaykar Sampark Kendras (ASKs) for taxpayer facilities in cities of Bhopal, Indore and Jabalpur.

An I-T survey is an operation where the department conducts raids at both the business and residential premises of an assessee.