LOK SABHA ELECTIONS 2019: EXCISE & TAXATION DEPARTMENT KEEPING A CLOSE WATCH ON ALL ACTIVITIES RELATED TO LIQUOR

· ETO LEVEL OFFICERS DEPUTED IN EACH VIDHAN SABHA CONSTITUENCY · CCTV'S INSTALLED IN LIQUOR WAREHOUSES Ludhiana, April 26, 2019: In view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2019, the Excise & Taxation Department Ludhiana is keeping a close watch on all activities related to liquor. The Excise & Taxation Officers (ETO's) have been deputed as Nodal Officers to check illegal production, storage, distribution, smuggling etc of liquor during the upcoming elections. DETC Ludhiana Division Mr Pawan Garg has intimated the Returning Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Ludhiana about the preparations made by the department. In the letter, the DETC Ludhiana division has informed that an ETO level nodal officer has been appointed for coordination and dealing with all excise related issues. Apart from this constituency wise ETO Level officers have also been appointed for excise checking and monitoring of liquor. He stated that Production figures of Brewery are being forwarded to Head Office which after compiling the reports of all manufacturing units of state, send consolidated report to State Election Commission. All L-13 (Ware house for country liquor) are already placed under CCTV camera and the New L-1's opening from April 1, 2019, will be placed under CCTV. Excise inspectors are already conducting surprise inspections in this regard. Daily receipts and take off of retail vendors are already being monitored. Opening and closing time of liquor vends are regularly checked by the officers and no breach in this regard has been reported yet. 6. No complaint regarding sale of liquor through slips or currency notes have been received yet and all the retailers have been directed not to sell liquor against anything except the price of liquor. Excise Inspector Mr Navdeep Singh Hadiwal, who has set up a naka on Neelon Bridge, informed that excise officers along with police staff are checking the inflow of liquor by laying Nakas on different roads randomly and are also conducting raids on receiving information.