Acting on customers' complaints against the wine shops in the Jammu region of overcharging, the excise department today raided several such shops in the entire Jammu division.
"To arrest the menace of overcharging by the wine shops, deputy Excise Commissioner, Executive Jammu conducted extensive raids in Jammu division and raided several shops", an official spokesman said.
He said that three teams were constituted to conduct simultaneous raids in the entire division.
"Team of eradication and enforcement wing under the command of Excise and Taxation Officer, Yudhvir Padha and other members conducted raids during which eight wine shops, were found overcharging from the customers, were booked for violation of the J&K Excise Act, 1958" he said.
He said that another team headed by Excise & Taxation Officer North, Jammu Virinder Singh Pawar conducted raids in the Pragwal and Amb Gharota area and booked two wine shops- Vishala Gupta Wine Shop, Pragwal and Rakesh Wine Shop, Amb Gharota, for the similar offence.
In Udhampur, a team headed by Nareh Kumar Koul, Excise and Taxation Officer, Udhampur Range booked Suriner Wine Shop, Manthal for overcharging from customers.
He said that the department has initiated multi-pronged strategy to arrest the menace of overcharging by the wine shops and violation of the guidelines by the Bars.
Inspection teams have been activated to tighten noose around those who violate the law and the standard norms.
In the past few days the department has conducted 240 raids in Jammu division to arrest the menace of illegal smuggling of liquor from other States, illicit distillation of liquor and other violations.
In the process 21 persons were arrested and cases have been lodged in various Courts of Law against the accused persons for illicit distillation of liquor and other ancillary offences.
The department has, since June booked 28 wine shops for overcharging and five bars for committing violations of standard practices and norms to be adhered by them.
