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Shimla
In a statement issued from Shimla, Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur said that the government is causing losses to the corporations of the state due to its obstinacy. The state government is forcibly getting the liquor contracts left out in the auction operated by various corporations of the state, due to which the corporations, which are already facing financial crisis, are going into further losses. On one hand, by stopping all other work and selling liquor, the public welfare work done by the corporations is getting affected, while on the other hand, the corporations are suffering a financial loss of lakhs of rupees every day. If we talk about Municipal Corporation Shimla and Himfed, then in just 65 days, both of them have become debtors of Rs 10 crore. They have liabilities of Rs 9.99 crore for the license fees of May and June. The Excise Department has started the process of recovery for not paying the license fees to both of them and has also issued notices to them. If the corporations do not pay the license fees on time, then they will have to pay this fee with interest. Which will have a direct impact on their functioning. By imposing its decision on the Municipal Corporation and other corporations, the government is not only putting them in losses but is also stopping the work related to the interest of the common man.
Jairam Thakur said that when the government gave the responsibility of running the contracts left out from the auction to various corporations, it was strongly opposed by all the corporations. But no one could do anything in front of the government’s stubbornness and despite all the opposition, the corporations had to run the liquor contracts. Today, due to the stubbornness of the government, the Municipal Corporation in the urban area and HPMC Himfed and Forest Corporation in the rural areas are having to run liquor contracts. Due to which their own work is getting affected. The government has also engaged the General Industries Corporation in the work of selling liquor, whose work was the production of furniture and clothes. Along with this, the government has opened new liquor contracts at many places in rural areas, which are being strongly opposed by the local people, but instead of changing the place of the contract, the government is registering cases against the people who are protesting.
Jairam Thakur said that the government is causing loss to the state in the matter of excise and benefiting the mafia. Cases of illegal liquor factories running in various places have come to light in the state. State ministers are there but they cannot be stopped. Due to pressure from the local people, raids were conducted on illegal liquor factories in Parwanoo and Kala Amb but no effective action could be taken against them. The reason for this was that they are getting protection from the top of the power. Heavy fines should be imposed on people doing such acts, their properties should be confiscated but instead of action, such people are getting protection. Therefore, the government is requested to show mercy on the corporations of the state instead of showing mercy on the liquor mafia.
The Leader of Opposition said that all the claims made by the government regarding income from excise have been shattered. Each of their lies has been exposed. Due to the policies of the Sukhu government, there has not been the expected increase in the earning of excise revenue. Ever since Sukhu came to power, he kept claiming a 40% increase in excise revenue every year. He kept lying from the House to every corner of the state. If there was even a little truth in the government’s claim, this time the government would have set a target of 4 thousand crores to earn revenue from excise, not 2800 crores. The truth is that the Sukhu government has not been able to touch even the double digit figure in the increase of excise revenue every year. Whereas in the last year of the previous BJP government, there was a 22 percent increase in excise revenue. The state is facing huge economic losses due to the Sukhu government.
