Shopkeeper challaned for GST, COTPA violations

Chandigarh, December 27

A shop at Attawa village in Sector 42 here was found selling imported cigarettes without having any purchase record or pictorial warning about the products.

A team of officials from the departments of health, police, excise and taxation, legal meteorology and food safety and drug control conducted a raid the shop. The imported cigarettes at the establishment were without any purchase record or the mandatory pictorial warning regarding health hazard as required under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act (COTPA), 2003.

A challan was issued to the shopkeeper by the Excise & Taxation Department for illegal stock/sale of imported cigarettes, a violation of the GST norms.

The food safety wing collected five pan masala samples for testing and analysis. The illegal cigarettes worth around Rs 40,000 were destroyed by the shopkeeper.