Liquor shops of 2 MLAs among 9 fined for flouting dry day norms
Saturday, 04/10/2014
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
PATIALA: The excise and taxation department of the state has fined nine liquor vends in the district for remaining open on October 2, a notified dry day.
Apart from that, the department has also issued showcause notice to excise inspectors Amandeep Singh and Sonia Gupta in this connection and asked them to file a reply in a week.
According to the excise policy of the Punjab government, Republic Day, Independence Day and birth anniversary of Mahtma Gandhi have been declared as notified dry days.
Despite this, the liquor vends started their business as usual in the morning and some residents apprised the additional excise and taxation commissioner Lajpal Jakhar about this.
“The stores were open in the morning hours and as soon we got information, I directed excise inspector Sumit Sharma to raid the vends and close them. A total of nine vends were found flouting the norms,” said Jakhar.
He added that all vends were closed by 8am and challaned under the excise Act and each of the vends was fined ` 50,000, he added.
He said two inspectors had been issued show-cause notice and they have been asked to reply within seven days.
It was worth mentioning that some of the liquor vend belong to Shiromani Akali Da (SAD) MLA Deep Malhotra and Congress MLA Amrik Singh Dhillon, besides other business men, including Mangat Ria and Ashok Singla.
To avoid competition, th liquor traders in Patiala hav allegedly created a syndicat and are charging exorbitan rates.
Even beer, which used to sell at ` 100, now costs ` 160 to consumers. There was no provi sion in the excise policy unde which the department can fix the maximum retail price.
