Punjab launches auctions to recover massive excise arrears

In a determined push to reinforce fiscal discipline and maximize revenue realization, Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema announced today that the Punjab Excise Commissionerate has intensified efforts to recover long-pending excise arrears inherited from previous SAD-BJP and Congress governments. The department has already recovered Rs. 1.85 crores in the current financial year 2025–26, and permission has been granted to sell 27 properties with a combined base value of Rs. 20.31 crores (at Collector Rate), marking a significant step toward financial accountability.

Revealing this in a press communique issued here, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the auction process for these properties is now underway. "As part of this recovery drive, 14 properties located in Sri Muktsar Sahib, Fazilka, and Mansa districts will be auctioned during the first two weeks of September", he added.

Providing further details, Cheema stated that six properties in Mansa and Bathinda districts—comprising agricultural and commercial/residential land with a base price of Rs. 5.4 crores—will be auctioned on September 4. On September 8, four agricultural properties in Sri Muktsar Sahib with a total base price of Rs. 4.89 crores will go under the hammer. Another set of four agricultural properties in Sri Muktsar Sahib and Fazilka, valued at Rs. 1.99 crores, will be auctioned on September 11.

The Finance Minister also announced that eight additional properties will be auctioned later in September, ensuring sustained momentum in the recovery campaign. He emphasized that the government anticipates substantial revenue recovery from 67 pending arrears cases within this financial year alone. This initiative, he said, is part of a broader strategy to streamline legacy dues and unlock stalled revenue.

Highlighting the contrast with previous SAD-BJP and Congress regimes, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema asserted that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, license fees are being recovered on time, leaving no room for arrears. He described the recovery of long-pending dues as a vital move toward strengthening Punjab’s fiscal health and underscored the government’s commitment to compliance and accountability. Reaffirming the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab Government’s dedication to transparent and efficient governance, Cheema said the ongoing efforts reflect a clear resolve to uphold financial integrity and public trust.