Deputy Chief Minister Punjab Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal today directed Excise department to install CCTV cameras on all the escape routes within the state and Information Collection Centers (ICC) situated at the interstate borders to check tax evasion. He also asked the department to create a special cell to monitor these cameras.Presiding over a meeting of Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioners here today, Mr. Badal conveyed that Punjab Government was considering amending act to take stringent action against vehicles used to carry goods evading tax. He said that this amendment would ensure that the truck or vehicle trying to evade tax would be confisticated and goods seized and there would be no provision for second chance.
Disclosing his plans for creating a foolproof check on evasion of excise duty, Deputy Chief Minister said that Punjab Government would soon create special Excise police equipped with vehicles and other modern gadgets to nab the tax evaders. He said that Punjab government would also recruit in house Law Officers to ensure quick and effective legal action in tax evasion cases.Directing to speed up the refund process, Mr. Badal said that in the areas having lesser number of industrial establishments, the refund process should be completed in 10 days while for others the process must be over within 60 days. He said that Punjab government was going to hire a company for the third party audit of the accounts of all the excise and taxation offices across the state. He said that the name of the company would be finalized by the next month end and it would be operational from the month of November.
Divulging more, the Deputy Chief Minister also announced the creation of a toll free number for the people to lodge complaints in case they face any harassment related to Excise department. He further added that he would also keep check on the working of the department through a monitoring mechanism.The Deputy Chief Minister also announced the rewarding of officers giving good account of themselves every month in the form of monetary reward. He also said that officers excelling in their discharge of duties would also be considered for out of turn promotions besides instituting the ‘Best Officers’ award for the excise department. Batting for the need to provide proper infrastructure in all the offices of the department, the Deputy Chief Minister said necessities like proper sitting place and other basic amenities would be provided soon.On this occasion, Principal Secretary to the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. P.S. Aujla, Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Mr. Anurag Verma, Special Principal Secretary to Deputy CM Mr. Ajay Kumar Mahajan and other officers of the department were also present.