Daily Times

Due to the alleged negligence of the Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control authorities, the Excise Executive Office on Satiana Road has been closed down resulting in the loss of millions of rupees to the government exchequer.

Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department, Faisalabad Region, authorities set up an executive office on Satiana Road in September 2018. It was meant to provide citizens with facilities including registration of new vehicles and motorcycles, change of ownership of old vehicles and collection of vehicle token tax.

Excise department officials spent millions of rupees on the purchase of computers, furniture, machinery, and equipment for the said executive office. The building for the executive office was also rented at Rs. 121,000 per month. The Executive Office on Satiana Road was closed after only 4 months, depriving citizens of facilities. But after a lapse of one and a half years, the building has not been vacated. The office equipped with machinery and equipment worth millions of rupees wears a deserted look. According to Excise Department sources, the department has not relinquished possession of the office building. In terms of rent, Rs 2.3 million and electricity bills valued at Rs 0.25 million have not been paid at present. Similarly, computers, furniture, stationery and other machinery and equipment worth lakhs of rupees in the executive office are also lying idle. The excise department has to bear the loss of millions of rupees.

The citizens say the executive office provided them with the best facilities for registration of vehicles, change of ownership, payment of token tax and other matters but they do not know why this executive office has been closed.

They demanded the government make the offices operational again. They say that the rush at the excise head office has raised manifold while the excise employees take several days to complete their work which causes them trouble. Mian Riaz, the owner of the building of Executive Office Satiana Road, said that two years ago, the Excise Department had rented the building from him for Rs 121,000 per month. But only four months’ rent was received while the remaining 18 months’ rent of Rs. 2.35 million is due to the Excise Department.

Excise officials have not been paying rent for the past year and a half, nor have they been relinquishing possession of their building, which is causing them damage and distress. The excise department also did not submit the electricity bill of Rs 2.5 lakh.

When contacted on phone and WhatsApp, the Provincial Minister for Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Punjab Hafiz Mumtaz Ahmed did not reply. In this regard, the excise officials said that they have informed the headquarters office about the closure of the executive office, and whatever instructions they give will be implemented.