DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday conducted a surprise inspection of the head office of the excise and taxation department in Patiala. The minister reviewed the attendance of officers and employees, scrutinised the files and assessed the general pace of work, said an official release. Expressing concern over delays in the disposal of cases and files, he said, "unwarranted delays will be treated as a form of corruption".

Cheema and the excise commissioner seized several documents during the inspection and compiled a list of files that will be subject to further scrutiny and action.

The minister also evaluated the functioning of the department's e-office system, emphasising that all official work must be disposed of promptly.

"Even a day or two of unnecessary delay in official work is unacceptable," he said.

"Every officer has the right to submit a report based on facts, whether positive or negative, but intentional delay will not be tolerated," said Cheema.

The minister also summoned superintendents and other officers from various branches and checked the attendance records, particularly identifying those absent without recording their movement in the official register.

Action has been directed against officers who left their workplace without permission or due procedure, he said.

"Those who delay official work are equally responsible for corruption. We are committed to delivering a transparent, honest, and time-bound administration under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann," he said.

Cheema further said that action is already being taken against commercial vehicles -- particularly heavy vehicles -- evading goods and services tax or involved in other forms of tax fraud on highways.

(editor@dailyworld.in)