If excise collections in the first six weeks of the current fiscal are any indication, then business has been pretty normal in the violence-hit Gujarat.
Between April 1 and May 15, excise mop up in the Vadodara zone stood at Rs 1,371.10 crore, up 35 per cent compared to Rs 1,012.20 crore in the corresponding period of the last fiscal.
According to revenue department officials, Gujarat has in fact bettered the average increase in the excise collection across all zones. During the first six weeks, the total excise collection of all zones stood at Rs 7,414 crore, 29 per cent more than Rs 5,732.67 crore recorded between April 1 and May 15 in 2001-2002.
Officials said Ahmedabad, one of the worst hit cities in the recent riots, too recorded a significant increase in excise collections during the period. Excise realisation from the two zones in Ahmedabad during the period totalled Rs 137.67 crore, 35 per cent higher compared to Rs 101.96 crore during April 1-May 15 in 2001.
