1. Home
2. Jammu

Civil Society Members urges UT Admin to review New Excise Policy

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 4/16/2021 1:11:42 PM

Y B News Jammu, Apr 15 S Balvinder Singh Social activist along with other Civil Society members S Manmohan Singh, Sh Mahesh Kotwal etc while addressing the Press Conference showed solidarity with the agitating wine traders of Jammu and urged upon the UT Administration to kindly review New Excise Policy 2021-22 which is detrimental to those in the business since long. Singh said that some of the Licensees are Widows/Sr Citizens/Ex-Serviceman and unemployed youth who got this license to earn their livelihood and some of the licensee are bedridden and in such condition they are not in a position to start another business to meet up their medical expenses. Singh further said that BJP came in power as a coalition Partner with PDP with the promise of creating and providing thousands of jobs for the unemployed youths of the JKUT but instead of providing jobs to the unemployed youths they are hell bent upon snatching the already established business of Jammu traders and trying to hand it over to the Mafia and rich businessman from out JKUT with the personal intervention/ involvement of some of the outside bureaucrats posted in JK. Which is a great injustice with the locals of JKUT. Singh also stated that had the JKUT made up its mind to hand it over this trade to the richer businessman from outside the State, though introduced Domicile but won’t work as they may involve locals, give at least one or two years to the wine traders of Jammu so that they may establish some new business to feed their families. Singh also mentioned the letter written by the Six member Committee constituted by the Finance department which included Excise Commissioner, four Deputy Excise Commissioner and Technical P A to Excise Commissioner whereby they wrote that “there is no denying the fact that a large number of peoples and their families are directly or indirectly dependent on this business and may get affected adversely by sudden discrimination of the existing licensee but the higher authorities has totally ignored it while framing the New Excise Policy. Singh said that Government must think before implementing this Policy as the Mining Policy of the JK UT has already failed miserably with the result as on date the cost of material including Sand and gravel has gone three times up in just last two years and administration has no check on the mafia who are continuing extracting material even without the allotment of contract from some sites. All present in the Press Conference urged upon the Lt Governor Manoj Sinha to kindly review New Excise Policy 2021- 22 to protect the rights of local wine traders of JKUT. They all also urged upon Dr Jatinder Singh MOS, that being a local you must understand the pain and agony of the Jammu Wine traders, intervene and save the interest of local wine traders ( as your Government is protecting every rights of the peoples of Ladakh UT) instead of the policies of promoting out side the state business entrepreneurs. In the end Activist stated that he has not organized this PC to promote wine but to defend the rights of legally allotted wine traders only and if Government declares Jammu as Dry State then he will be the first person to hail that decision of the government.