PUNJAB POLICE & EXCISE DEPARTMENT JOINTLY KEEPING VIGIL AROUND BOOTLEGGERS

CHANDIGARH, March 26: To ensure free, fair and peaceful forthcoming General Elections 2024, Special Director General of Police (Spl DGP) Law and Order Arpit Shukla on Tuesday, directed all the Police officers to work as one team with the Excise and Taxation department to keep vigil around the bootleggers.

The Special DGP accompanied by Punjab Excise and Taxation Commissioner (PETC) Varun Roojam was virtually chairing a state-level meeting of senior officers of the Excise and Taxation Department and all the Deputy Commissioners and CPs/SSPs of the state at Punjab Police Headquarters here. Punjab Financial Commissioner, Taxation Vikas Pratap also joined the meeting through VC.

Pertinently, to keep a tab at drug trafficking and liquor smuggling, Punjab Police have already laid well-coordinated strong inter-state at all the sealing points of 10 border districts in the state, which share boundaries with four border states and UT Chandigarh. The 10 inter-state border districts include Pathankot, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Fazilka, Ropar, SAS Nagar, Patiala, Sangrur, Mansa, Hoshiarpur and Bathinda.

— SPL DGP ARPIT SHUKLA ACCOMPANIED BY PETC VARUN ROOJAM CHAIRS STATE-LEVEL MEETING OF DCs & CPs/SSPs

— STRONG INTER-STATE NAKAS ALREADY IN PLACE IN 10 BORDER DISTRICTS OF PUNJAB

— ENSURE EFFECTIVE ACTION AGAINST PEOPLE FOUND SELLING/SMUGGLING ILLICIT OR SPURIOUS LIQUOR, SAYS SPL DGP ARPIT SHUKLA

Special DGP Arpit Shukla asked all the CPs/SSPs to take Excise officers along while conducting checking of vehicles at static or mobile nakas and ensure effective action against people found indulged in selling/smuggling of illicit or spurious liquor.

He also directed officers to intensify checking at villages, especially in Mand areas, which are infamous for making Lahan (raw material used to make liquor). He also asked them to take preventive action against bootleggers/unscrupulous elements, who are history-sheeters or facing criminal cases under serious offences.

Meanwhile, PETC Varun Roojam asked the officers to keep vigil at dilapidated buildings, marriage palaces, godowns and other suspected points where liquor can be stored. He also suggested the officers concerned to thoroughly probe the records of L-17A license bearers.