The excise department collected samples of beer being sold near Chatt village on Patiala Road after receiving a complaint on the helpline number regarding Uttarakhand-made beer being sold in Punjab at a higher price.
The complainant, Mandeep Singh, a resident of Dayalpura village, said, “I bought a bottle of beer from a contractor, but it tasted different. When I checked the bottle, the old sticker, which said ‘made in Uttarakhand’ had been removed, but traces of the glue remained. Apart from it, the caveat “not for sale in Punjab” and “only for sale in Uttarakhand” were clearly written on the bottle. The contractor had fixed a fake sticker which read ‘for sale in Punjab.”
Mandeep Singh had also made a recording and shared it on the anti-corruption helpline number issued by the excise department and the Punjab chief minister. The liquor contractor said that a mistake was made while recycling bottles.
Excise department inspector Lakhmir Singh said, “After receiving the complaint, the excise department collected samples of beer and also seized some bottles. Since the bottle available with the complainant was empty, we took samples from other bottles. We are conducting an inquiry and will submit a report soon.”