Chandigarh, May 11
In order to check menace of illicit brewing from lahan, an intensive search operation was carried out by the Excise teams early on Tuesday in the Bet area in Ludhiana district, where about 2.8 lakh kilogram of unclaimed lahan and 100 litre of illicit liquor was recovered and destroyed on the spot.
Following the directives of Excise and Taxation Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, the Punjab Excise Commissioner Varun Roojam constituted four teams to launch the search operation in Bet area at around 5.30 am on Tuesday, said an official spokesperson.
He said the four teams were constituted under Patiala Zone Excise Deputy Commissioner Shalin Walia by Ludhiana Range Excise Assistant Commissioner Shivani Gupta.
The search was conducted in the areas/villages on the banks of the River Sutlej namely Talwani Nabad, Gorsia near Barundi, Bholewal Jadid, Rajapur, Khera Bet, Mazzara Kalan, Hakam Rai Bet, Sherewal, Baghian and Village Bahadur Ke, said the spokesperson.
The combed search operation was carried out in the area spanning about 40 kilometre, he added.
As many as 60 members of search teams led by Ludhiana Excise officers consisting of the Excise Inspectors and the Excise police staff carried out the search.
The water used for this purpose was full of chemical wastes and toxins released as it came from the sewage of various industrial units of Ludhiana.
The raid made the people involved running away, leaving behind 30 working stills, six quintals of wood, 15 iron drums, two aluminium vessels, plastic pipes and 12 bags of jaggery.
The Jalandhar district Excise staff was called at the other end of the river, said the spokesperson, adding these operations would act as deterrent for the people involved in such activities in the Mand areas and the areas along the river banks of Punjab.
