107 vehicles impounded in state GST campaign in Punjab: Minister

LUDHIANA: Punjab finance, planning, excise and taxation minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Thursday said that during the two-day special campaign conducted by the State GST (SGST) department's mobile wings of various districts at Mandi Gobindgarh on August 23-24, 107 vehicles were impounded for not carrying e-way bills and other required documents.
He said that after the evaluation of the goods being carried by these vehicles, the defaulters are likely to be fined more than Rs 2 crore.
The minister said that during the campaign, the officers with the mobile wings were authorized to access business premises and the necessary records under Section 71 of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act so that apart from vehicles plying on the road, they could also inspect business premises as well as scrutinize the required records.
Cheema said that 55 vehicles were seized during the checking conducted by the mobile wings of Patiala, Ludhiana and the State Intelligence and Preventive Unit (SIPU) on August 23, while 52 vehicles were seized by the mobile wings of Ropar, Patiala and Shambhu till the afternoon of August 24 He said that after issuing the notice in these cases, the responses of the concerned firms and the goods being transported will be evaluated by the Tax Intelligence Unit to fix penalty against defaulters.