STATE TIMES NEWS
KATHUA: Jammu and Kashmir Excise and Taxation Department has foiled a bid to smuggle 3,200 willow clefts to Punjab from the State.
During routine checking by the sleuths of Excise and Taxation Department at Toll Post Lakhanpur in Kathua District, a truck (JK02G-7481) was found loaded with 148 bundles of unfinished cricket bats which were being smuggled from Kathua to Punjab, Dy. Excise Commissioner, Rajesh Sharma said.
The truck was loaded with 3,200 willow clefts but the willows were given fake finished look to dodge the toll post barrier Lakhanpur, he said.
The truck and willow clefts were seized and ten-time penalty of the value of willow cleft was imposed as violation of toll-tax, he said.
The seized truck and willow clefts have been handed over to Forest Department for legal action as the transportation of willow clefts is totally banned to other state under Forest Act.
The Dy. Excise Commissioner, Rajesh Sharma alongwith Excise and Taxation Officers Sanjay Bhat, V.S Billoria and Lekh Raj, and Inspectors Ishtyaq
Ahmad, Adarsh Sharma, Amit Sharma, Dheeraj Kumar and Swarn Singh, and Sub-Inspectors Brij Pal Singh jointly supervised the search operation.
This is the second big detection of contraband and banned goods since April, 2015, which were being smuggled in/outside the J and K State. Earlier, the sleuths of Excise Department at Toll Post Nagri were instrumental in detection of 780 bottles of ‘Corex’ that were handed over to police authorities.
It is worthwhile to mention here that in addition to their routine duty of collecting toll, the sleuths of Excise Department are instrumental in seizure of contraband and illegal goods.
The Dy. Excise Commissioner, Rajesh Sharma appreciated the commendable role of the staff and warned the tax evaders/ smugglers to desist from such kind of illegal activities.Smuggling of contraband items including willow clefts have assumed alarming proportions with smugglers either transporting these in apple boxes or beneath walnut and other dry fruit exported from Jammu and Kashmir to other states. Illegal transportation of banned items is becoming a roaring avocation for Kashmir based smugglers in general, who enjoy political patronage. Mostly these items get transported without any hassles due to clout of the smugglers. And per se if any consignment is detected and seized at Lakhanpur, the politico-bureaucratic machinery gets activated and the matter gets generally hushed up.
Today’s seizure, in all probability, is all set to meet the same fate, given the clout of smugglers, a senior official told STATE TIMES on the condition of anonymity.