CM:Form teams to combat smuggling

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 6

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has directed all DCs and SPs to form district-level teams to eradicate the smuggling of illicit liquor across the inter-state borders and prevent the supply of non-duty paid booze from the distilleries to the vends.

The teams will be headed by a magistrate and comprise officers of the Police, Excise and Taxation Departments. Khattar said this while presiding over a meeting with the DCs and SPs through videoconferencing here on Wednesday. Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala also attended the meeting.

The CM directed the DCs and SPs to ensure quick installation and regular monitoring of flow meters in every distillery. While directing the SPs to identify illegal godowns of liquor, if any, in their districts, he said an inventory of such liquor seized by the police should also be prepared.

Khattar asked the DCs and SPs to ensure that vehicles carrying mining material and having valid e-Rawana slip should not be stopped unnecessarily. He said 400 to 500 vehicles involved in illegal mining had been impounded in the state with maximum number of such vehicles from the districts of Sonepat, Ambala, Faridabad, Narnaul, Palwal and Panchkula. He asked the DCs of these districts to ensure that if the owner failed to get their vehicle released, they should start the process for the auction of such vehicles.

Khattar said though the migrant labourers were eager to return to their hometowns, the DCs concerned should try to pacify them to remain in Haryana as after the lockdown, industrial and other economic activities had been resumed in the state in a phased manner. For agricultural and migrant labours from other states keen on returning, the registration process has been started at the local level.

He said on Thursday, the state government had sent a special train for migrant labourers from Hisar to Katihar in Bihar. Apart from this, eight more trains would also be sent to various destinations in the next one or two days. In addition, arrangement of buses has also been made for the migrant labourers going to Uttar Pradesh. He said as the Home Department had issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in this regard, all DCs and SPs should ensure that these were followed in letter and spirit to facilitate the return of migrant and other agricultural labour in a safe and systematic manner.

The CM also asked the DCs to ensure the supply of distress ration for May and June to the unorganised labour, who did not have any ration cards. He said it should be ensured that no such person remains deprived of food.