Efforts to recover excise dues intensified: Punjab FM Harpal Cheema

Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Harpal Singh Cheema announced on Sunday that the state Excise Commissionerate had intensified efforts to recover long-pending excise arrears inherited from the previous SAD-BJP and Congress governments.

The department had already recovered Rs 1.85 crore during the current financial year and permission had been granted to sell 27 private properties with a combined base value of Rs 20.31 crore (at collector rate), marking a significant step toward financial accountability.

The minister said the auction process for the properties was now underway. “As part of the recovery drive, 14 properties located in Muktsar, Fazilka and Mansa districts will be auctioned during the first two weeks of September,” he added.

Providing further details, he said six properties in Mansa and Bathinda districts, comprising agricultural, commercial/residential land with a base price of Rs 5.4 crore would be auctioned on September 4.

On September 8, four agricultural properties in Muktsar with a total base price of Rs 4.89 crores would go under the hammer. Another set of four agricultural properties in Muktsar and Fazilka, valued at Rs 1.99 crores, would be auctioned on September 11.

The Finance Minister also announced that eight additional properties would be auctioned later in September, ensuring sustained momentum in the recovery campaign. He emphasised that the government anticipated substantial revenue recovery from 67 pending cases of arrears within this financial year alone. The initiative, he said, was part of a broader strategy to streamline legacy dues and unlock stalled revenue.