Khel Udyog Sangh condemns state govt for ‘inspector raj’

Members of the Khel Udyog Sangh, industry union, held a meeting today and condemned the government for giving the power of checking the products to GST inspectors.

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Ravinder Dhir, a senior traders from the city, said the government had released the orders and under this, any GST Department inspector can check the product on road. “This is happening for the first time. Earlier, it was the enforcement wing that was entrusted with the task to check the products. Now, with this, corruption will increase manifold,” he said.

He further added that under this government, it was getting difficult for industrialists to work. Traders had been protesting against the GST raids for the last two years as well.

“We are being harassed. AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal had promised to end ‘inspector raj’ if his party was voted to power. The party is now ruling the state. But instead of ending the ‘inspector raj’, the government has worsened the condition of traders and industrialists,” the members of the Sangh rued. It is not for the first time that the members of the Sangh have condemned the government.

Last year, a group of traders and industrialists had held a protest during the ongoing inspection by a GST team. After a team from the GST Department had conducted inspection at a sports shop in Basti Nau, some traders and industrialists gathered on the scene and staged a dharna outside the unit while the inspection was still underway.

Also the same year, under the banner of the Khel Udyog Sangh, members had banged utensils while sitting on the road in protest to reiterate their demand for ending such GST raids.

Praveen Anand, a member of the Sangh, said it was not a favourable environment for the industrialists. “Instead of a boom, the Punjab industry is sinking because of the policies,” he said.