The local tehsildar, the CSO and a team of police here seized as many as 17 domestic cylinders of Indane gas from two hotels and 18 from a godown of a black marketer on Wednesday. Besides, 50 litre of kerosene oil was also seized.
“We conducted the raid and seized the domestic cylinders from two hotels and a godown at the instance of the District Collector after allegations were galore that black-marketing was taking place rampantly in the Nuapada NAC,” said the tehsildar G Naidu. Sagar Ganga hotel had 14 empty domestic cylinders and a filled one. The hotel owner somehow knew about the raid and was trying to shift the cylinders to some other place, when the sleuths got hold of them.
Ganapati Sweets had two domestic cylinders and an illegal stock of 50 liter of kerosene. Rest 18 domestic cylinders were seized from a godown of one Pratap Chaudhuri – a habitual black marketer of domestic gas. A machine used for filling gas in the vehicles was also seized from Prakash.
Sagar Ganga hotel, which is located near the bus stand and close to the Gurudwara of Khariar, is owned by an influential person. It runs a bar inside the hotel, which has been a point of objection by the residential houses around the hotel. But, using influence, the owner has been able to continue the bar.