Ludhiana GST Department Launches Anti-Evasion Drive

The SGST department’s mobile wing has initiated an anti-evasion drive at the Ludhiana Railway Station to prevent the transport of goods without payment of taxes. The move was done in response to directions from the office of the SGST’s extra commissioner of state taxes.

The department’s special teams also performed a check on tuesday. According to sources, the headquarters issued the orders in response to new allegations regarding the ‘Peti Mafia’ (an organised gang involved in the facilitation of the transit of products without payment of taxes).

Furthermore, with the start of the garment and hosiery seasons approaching, there is a great likelihood that attempts to ship large quantities of items by trains without paying taxes will grow this month.

As a result, separate mobile wing Ludhiana teams have been created to covertly man the station’s periphery in different shifts and screen the departing and arriving cartons of products from the station’s parcel area and platforms.

Meanwhile, on the condition of anonymity, an official from the SGST department stated, “There are clear instructions from the Punjab excise and taxation minister to take strict action against tax evaders and those causing any sort of loss of revenue to the exchequer.”

The department has given full rein to all field units to take action against such people, prompting specific campaigns at the Ludhiana train station. So far, the campaigns have been effective, as hundreds of cartons being carried out of and into Ludhiana without paying taxes were confiscated by mobile wing teams last month,” he added.

He stated that the department will begin periodic inspections at Dhandari railway station as well.