Excise-textile units8217; discord in focus

SURAT, May 11: The ongoing tussle between the Central Excise department and the textile industry took a curious turn with the publication of...

SURAT, May 11: The ongoing tussle between the Central Excise department and the textile industry took a curious turn with the publication of an unusual advertisement in a vernacular daily, calling upon people to provide information about any property belonging to Excise officials.

The advertisement has been issued in the name of the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the South Gujarat Textile Processors Association, the Pandesara Industrial Cooperative Society, the Surat Vankar Sangh, the Udhna Udyognagar Sahakari Sangh and the Palsana-Kadodara Textile Processors Association.

Interestingly, all these associations 8212; covering the entire industrial spectrum from the city and South Gujarat 8212; have denied they issued the advertisement.

The mysterious advertisement promises to pay informers 8220;appropriately8221; while keeping their names a secret. The information could relate to shops, houses, flats, bungalows, cars, scooters, bank lockers and even fixed deposits, it said.

Incidentally, the advertisement only appeared in Navgujarat Times, owned by former Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation chairman Chandrakant Patil, who himself has stakes in many textile units.

Late in the night, Patil claimed that the advertisement appeared to be an attempt to create 8220;mischief8221;.

He said he had called up the associations to crosscheck but had found that none of them were involved in it.The advertiser had paid the money in cash, so it would not be known who was behind the advertisement, he said, adding, however, that there was no question of carrying a clarification.

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The advertisement was released without the knowledge of the chamber, SGCCI president Prem Sharda said, adding that the chamber won8217;t associate itself with any such activity.

Office-bearers of three other organisations also claimed the advertisement was issued without their knowledge.

The act has been seen as an attempt to put the Excise department on the mat, reeling as it is under the spate of visits by their senior officers as also by the Member Excise to investigate into the complaints of harassment against the local officials.