Huge Seizure of Coal in North East
CHIEF Commissioner, Customs, Central Excise & Service Tax, Shillong, Ananya Ray informs:
Coal is leviable to Central Excise duty with effect from March 2011.
However, coal miners, traders and dealers particularly from Meghalaya continue to evade the Central Excise duties by way of clandestine removal, without payment of duty from the mines and depots leading to a huge revenue loss to the Government.
Extensive persuasive efforts by the Central Excise Authorities to bring about compliance have been met with resistance, particularly in Jaintia and West Khasi Hills District and evasion of duties continues with impunity.
Therefore, in view of the reluctance and non-compliance of the coal Miners in the Jaintia Hills and West Khasi Hills areas of Meghalaya to get themselves registered with Central Excise Authorities and pay the applicable excise duty, a massive anti-evasion drive was Undertaken jointly by the officers of Central Excise&Service Tax, Shillong, Central Excise & Service Tax, Guwahati, Customs Preventive, NER, Shillong and Assam Police to intercept the coal laden trucks coming tom Jaintia Hills & West Khasi Hills to Guwahati on the night of 5th & 6th March '13.
As a result, 82 (eighty two) trucks containing a total of 1188.97 MT coal (approx) valued at approxRs.5,69,57,149/- (five crore sixty nine lakh fifty seven thousand one hundred and forty nine)including conveyance were seized. Besides, nine trucks containing 81 MT have also been detained near Badrpur (Barak Valley).
Further investigation is on…..